Second Chance
by XtremeGal87
Summary: Full summary inside. One hundred years after Aizen's defeat, Ichigo and Orihime have been reborn in Soul Society with no memory of their past lives. Could a new threat be enough to resurrect a love that once died far too soon? IchiHime.
1. A New Era

_**A/N:**_ Hello again everyone! I'm back with another IchiHime fic (who's surprised?)!

Now, I have just a couple of notes: **1)** though I'm aware in a way that this might sound related/similar to 'After Life', I assure you, it is not in any way related to that story (except that I will steal a couple of names, 'cause I'm lazy like that lol); **2)** I'm thinking/intending for this to be another semi-long chapter piece, though how long exactly even I have no idea… and **3)** _**please pay attention to the summary**_ – with a little luck, it'll answer a lot of your questions! Also, yes, there will be some OOCness, but hopefully not so much that they don't actually seem like themselves. I'm attempting to keep their core personalities, etc, but please remember their backgrounds _**will**_ be different.

Oh! And I will not be including the Fullbring storyline…but Ichigo _**did**_ lose his powers in the final battle with Aizen.

And now that that's over, all I have left to say is that, of course, I hope you really enjoy this story!

**Summary:** Shortly after Aizen's defeat, and Ichigo's loss of spiritual powers, life began returning to a semblance of normalcy for everyone. Ichigo and Orihime began dating during their senior year of high school, and moved to Tokyo together to attend college. But it was not be. On July 6th, the day before Orihime's favorite holiday, she and two co-workers were caught in the back room of the bakery as it burned to the ground.

It was many years before Ichigo allowed himself to love again. Despite this, he managed to live a full life as an ordinary human, and died peacefully in his sleep on July 7th – 64 years later.

But this was not the end of their story. One hundred years after Aizen, they have both been reborn in Soul Society; and both have found their way to the highest ranks of Soul Reapers. And as their friends, who still remember everything from their human lives, watch from the sidelines, they find themselves wondering – could this be the highly-deserved second chance for Ichigo and Orihime?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Bleach. _**But**_ I do own the few Original Characters who will sporadically appear in this story.

**Second Chance**

**Chapter One: A New Era**

** Orihime Inoue** moved with a natural grace down the familiar hallway, her long auburn hair pulled up into an intentionally-messy bun and her arms loose at her sides. Beside her, walking half-a-pace behind, was Hanatarou Yamada, with a well-used medical bag strapped across his shoulder. They were walking in comfortable silence, so near now to their destination that they could feel it.

Footsteps behind them on the well-worn walkway gave them a moment's notice before the Lieutenant of Squad Six was calling out to them politely. "Oh, pardon me, Captain! I didn't realize you were here."

She hesitated as Orihime and Hanatarou came to a stop, turning sideways to look over at her. Concern clouding her eyes, Rukia softly asked, "Is Captain Ukitake struggling again?"

Orihime smiled reassuringly, her voice soft as she replied, "He's feeling a bit under the weather today, it's true. But I'm sure what he really needs is rest; you know how he pushes himself sometimes."

Rukia nodded, unable to ignore the younger woman's point. "Of course. But would it be better if perhaps I put off my visit for a couple of days?"

"Don't be silly!" Orihime exclaimed, stepping forward and snatching Rukia's elbow before turning and resuming her earlier course – Rukia in tow. "Juushirou loves company, and we all know you have a special place in his heart! You'd be the perfect company for him right now!"

Rukia was silent for a long moment as Orihime practically dragged her down the hall, Hanatarou trailing behind with laughing eyes. "U-um, alright, if you say so!"

Orihime laughed lightly, flashing a smile back at the shorter woman, but said nothing as she continued to drag her down the hall.

Like always, Rukia couldn't help but return the smile, and she was grateful that the ache in her heart had finally lessened. Some days she could still remember when Soul Society had first heard of the healer's tragic death like it was yesterday. And sometimes it was both heartwarmingly-reassuring and heartbreakingly-depressing to interact with the woman before her now.

Yes, she was glad to know, first-hand, that her friend was happy in her afterlife – but it was also a constant reminder of how horribly her previous life had ended. At the end of the day, the woman before her – beautiful, successful, strong and gentle – was a different person. She did not have the memories of the Orihime Inoue who had warmed so many hearts a lifetime ago. She would never be able to reminisce with Rukia – or Rangiku, or anyone else – over the things they had experienced together.

But neither was she lost to those who loved her – at least, not entirely – and that was something Rukia would never take for granted. And despite the differences between the Orihime who had been, and the Orihime who now was, Rukia was still proud of her for all she had accomplished in the ninety-five years since the end of her previous life.

Orihime's pace slowed as they approached the door that separated them from their destination, and the change pulled Rukia out of her reverie. A moment later Rukia's arm was released, and Orihime reflexively straightened her robes before lifting one slim hand and knocking lightly on the door.

Rukia automatically stepped backwards, standing beside Hanatarou, who offered her an understanding smile.

A gruff voice from the other side, punctuated by heavy footsteps, reminded Rukia that the woman standing before her was not the only notable change in Soul Society.

"Oi, he asked not to-!" the voice trailed off as the door slid open and the speaker realized who had disturbed them. Appropriately, he made a brief choking sound and his voice was much more peaceful when he spoke again. "Oh, sorry, Captain Inoue…I wasn't paying attention. Please, come in, he's awake."

Orihime smiled warmly and waved one hand lazily. "It's alright, Lieutenant Kurosaki, I understand." As she stepped inside, she added, "Thank you."

Rukia studied Ichigo's face as he watched Orihime pass him and once again her heart lurched just a little, as it always did when they interacted.

Though Orihime's attitude was always warm towards him, it was no warmer than her attitude towards everyone else. And though he was always respectful to her (once he realized who he was addressing), it was because he respected that she outranked him – not because he held a special place for her in his heart. The depth of emotion that had always been visible in their eyes when they interacted in their previous lives was no longer there, and it pained Rukia to remember the love that had been lost.

She had been witness to too many lost loves.

Ichigo turned his attention to the two Lieutenants who were still standing, staring, on the other side of the open doorway. Cocking an orange brow at them he planted his hands on his hips and snapped, "Are you two coming in or not?"

The familiar tone drew Rukia's focus and she allowed a smirk to curve her lips. "Don't take that attitude with me, Ichigo, I'll come in when I'm good and ready."

"Fine," Ichigo replied, stepping forward as Hanatarou scurried past and reaching for the door. "But don't get all snippy when I slam the door in your face." He threw her a matching smirk for good measure as he pulled the aforementioned door shut sharply.

Rukia sucked in a breath and curled her fists tightly. "Just who do you think you are, Ichigo Kurosaki? No one slams doors in my face!"

Ichigo's laughing voice echoed through the closed door from a short distance away, calling, "Looks like I just did!"

* * *

><p><strong>Juushirou smiled<strong> knowingly as Orihime prepared his treatment. Brown eyes well-aged with wisdom watched the open doorway to his chambers, listening to the echoing argument between his current and former Lieutenants. With a faint, weak chuckle he mumbled, "They're bickering again, I see."

"Do they bicker often?" Orihime asked curiously as she turned toward him. When Juushirou simply nodded she sighed and said, "I guess I hadn't noticed. Although, I don't often come here when they're both in the same room."

As Orihime moved to begin her work, Hanatarou leaned back, having finished setting up his things, and looked toward the senior Captain, asking, "Is there anything I could get for you, sir? Some tea, perhaps?"

Juushirou shifted his gaze to the other man and smiled again. "I could use some more tea, actually…if you don't mind."

"Oh, of course not!" Hanatarou exclaimed as he jumped to his feet.

As he headed to the exit, Orihime called, "Hanatarou, please put some extra honey in the tea, it'll help soothe him."

"Yes, Captain," Hanatarou replied with a small bow.

A few moments after he'd departed, Ichigo and Rukia made their way into the room, staying back to give Orihime space.

"Ah, Rukia," Juushirou said quietly, smiling at her. "It's so good to see you again."

Rukia returned his smile as she claimed one of the sitting cushions and replied, "You say that every time I visit, Captain Ukitake. I think it loses something when you say it multiple times a month."

Juushirou chuckled, breaking into a brief fit of coughing before he managed, "I suppose it does. I'll try to work on that."

After a moment of silence, as they watched Orihime work, Ichigo quietly asked, "Can we help at all?"

Orihime's voice was light and reassuring as she said, "You're already helping!"

"How?" Ichigo asked skeptically.

"Well, everyone loves good company when they're feeling under the weather," Orihime began easily. "Plus, I'm sure you've been taking measures to make sure that Captain Ukitake isn't disturbed unnecessarily, and since what he really needs is rest and proper nourishment, that is one of the best things you can be doing for him." She paused, leaning back and turning to smile at him as Hanatarou returned with the tea, and added, "See?"

Ichigo found himself unable to reply, as his tongue was suddenly quite awkwardly stuck in his throat, and so he merely nodded.

"Thank you, Hanatarou," Juushirou whispered as he accepted the tea.

Hanatarou stepped back, then, and Orihime returned to her work while the others resigned themselves to watching.

* * *

><p><strong>Ichigo walked<strong> with them to the entrance of Squad Thirteen's barracks when they were done, and Juushirou had laid down for a nap. As they approached the staircase the group slowed and Ichigo lifted one hand to scratch at the back of his neck subconsciously. "Thanks again, Captain Inoue. We're all really grateful for your help."

Orihime turned to flash a brilliant smile at him and said, "You don't need to thank me, silly. I consider Juushirou a good friend; I'm more than happy to help when I can. And besides, you should really stop talking about the whole situation like he won't be around much longer – he's got plenty of time left."

"It's true," Hanatarou offered, "In fact, I myself have seen Captain Ukitake in much worse condition."

Ichigo scowled at the slightly shorter man and crossed his arms.

"Wh-what is it? What did I say?" Hanatarou asked, recognizing the look that had settled on Ichigo's face.

Rukia lifted one hand to cover her mouth, attempting (and failing) to muffle her laughter as she said, "That might not have been the most reassuring response, Lieutenant Yamada." She pulled in a breath, dropped her hand, and looked over to Ichigo as she added, "However, he's still right, Ichigo. Don't worry so much."

"Tch," Ichigo scoffed, looking away and letting his arms drop. "Don't talk like I'm freaking out or something, alright? It's natural to worry about someone who's sick."

"It most certainly is," Orihime assured him. Lifting one hand in a mock-lecturing gesture, she said, "But remember: too much worrying is bad for your health!" Her hand dropping to her side, she added calmly, "Now then, thank you for escorting us all this way, but Hanatarou and I must be taking our leave; we still have important things to do today. It was good seeing both of you!"

Hanatarou called his own farewell as he followed his Captain down the steps.

"You know what I don't get," Ichigo suddenly declared after he and Rukia had watched their descent for a long minute. Rukia looked up at him silently and he continued, eyes still trained on the commanding officers of Squad Four. "Hanatarou's significantly older than her, right? And he was a highly-ranked officer _**before**_ she joined – at least that's what I've heard – so how is it she's _**his**_ superior?"

Rukia lifted a curious brow at his question. _Of course he'd ask _**me**_ this instead of Renji or Ikkaku or someone,_ she reflected silently. At length she shrugged and replied, "Well, aside from the fact that Hanatarou still isn't anywhere near mastering bankai – and Captain Inoue _**has**_ – I'd guess she just…has a natural talent for healing or something."

Ichigo turned his eyes away from the departing duo, casting a suspicious, half-hearted glare in her direction. "That was a pathetic answer, Rukia. Everyone knows her zanpakutou has healing abilities. And yeah, I get the bankai thing, but it just still seems strange to me I guess."

Rukia huffed, fisting her hands on her hips. "Well what kind of answer were you _**looking**_ for, then? What, do you think it's some big conspiracy that no one's bothered to tell you about? So Ori – Captain Inoue – surpassed Hanatarou after Iemura retired, what's the big deal?"

For a long moment, neither spoke. Ichigo held her gaze defiantly, searching for something, and arguing with himself on what he should say. Finally, he released a breath and relaxed his muscles, saying, "Whatever, it doesn't really matter. I was just curious is all."

"You better watch that curiosity," Rukia teased, glad to change the subject, and doubly glad that he hadn't called her out about nearly using Orihime's given name. "Rumor has it it could get you into trouble."

Ichigo rolled his eyes as he turned to head back into the barracks. "Yeah, yeah, like I haven't heard that before. Don't you have someplace _**else**_ to be?"

Rukia glared briefly at him before straightening up and crossing her arms. "As a matter of fact, I do. I only came to visit my friends – this _**was**_ my squad for over a century, remember."

She could see his smirk as it curved his lips and he replied, "Yeah, I always forget how old you are, seeing as you're still such a midget."

Only the Hell Butterfly that fluttered in between them an instant later spared Ichigo's life.

After listening dutifully to the message, Rukia shrugged the magical creature away and said, "It seems your life has been spared for now, Kurosaki, but this is not over!"

As she sprinted down the staircase Ichigo called, "Yeah, that's right, keep running!" He chuckled at the haughty glare she threw over her shoulder, disturbingly amused by her inability to retaliate, and knowing all the while that she would probably make him regret his words soon enough – well, _**almost**_.

* * *

><p><strong>Orihime looked<strong> up from the papers before her when a soft knock sounded on her closed office door, and she smiled when she recognized the familiar spiritual pressure on the other side. "Come in, Isane!" she called lightly.

The door slid open and Isane Kotetsu, Lieutenant of Squad One and former Lieutenant of Squad Four, stepped easily into the room. She smiled at the younger Soul Reaper and inclined her head, "Good afternoon, Captain Inoue."

Orihime clucked her tongue as she moved around the desk. "How many times do I have to tell you not to be so formal? At least not when we're talking casually!"

Isane laughed faintly and allowed herself to be pulled into an embrace. As she stepped back, she said, "I'm sorry, it's just such a habit…it's good to see you, Orihime."

"You, too," Orihime said with a bright smile. "I hardly see you anymore, it's so sad! How are you?"

"We're both well," Isane replied easily.

"So what brings you by?" Orihime asked as she moved toward the kitchen.

Isane trailed after her, saying, "Captain Unohana wanted me to ask how your visit with Captain Ukitake was. She heard he hasn't been doing so well the last couple of days."

"Ah, of course," Orihime said as she pulled out two mugs and began filling them with steaming water. "I should have realized she'd hear about that, but it's nothing to worry about. He overexerted himself at the festival last weekend is all; he just needs to stay in bed for a couple of days, and not skip any meals, and he'll be good as new!"

"Oh, good," Isane breathed, silently accepting the still-steaming tea that was held out to her. "I'm sure she'll be pleased to hear that that's all it is. And how've you been lately?"

Orihime leaned her hip against the counter as she blew on her own tea. "I've been fine of course. There isn't really a lot going on, so most of our traffic is from Squad Eleven, with a little sprinkling of Stealth Force, and we've had a nice amount of personal time in between."

Isane smiled, easily remembering the scenario being described. It was peacetime, after all, so there simply wasn't a lot that required the Captain of Squad Four.

The two women talked for a short while, sipping their tea, until Isane forced herself to return to her duties. As she headed for the door she paused, remembering the other reason she'd come, and asked, "Oh, Orihime, would you mind telling Hanatarou that the Lieutenant's Meeting has been moved to Thursday? I went to his room to tell him, but he wasn't there."

"Sure," Orihime replied. "Is there a reason it's been moved?"

Isane gave a half-shrug and replied, "Well, we're expecting a report from the Stealth Force sometime tomorrow, and more than likely the information would require another meeting anyway, so Captain Unohana decided it'd just be easier to postpone it a couple of days."

Orihime nodded in understanding. "That does make sense…." Her voice trailed as a thought occurred to her and she asked almost hesitantly, "Is there something going on, Isane?"

"I don't really think so," Isane said thoughtfully. "We heard some vague rumors a couple of weeks ago, and Captain Unohana asked Captain Soi Fon to investigate them. The investigation team's due back tomorrow, that's all. Honestly, I'm not even sure what the rumors were about."

"I see," Orihime replied with another nod. Her smile returned then and she added, "Alright, well I'll be sure to let him know. Please tell Captain Unohana that I said hello, will you?"

"Absolutely!" Isane promised before slipping out of the office.

Orihime reclaimed her seat behind the desk, then, and as she attempted to return her focus to the papers she'd been going over, she couldn't help but pull her lip between her teeth. The strangest feeling of anxiety was beginning to build in her gut, and she could only hope that she was overreacting. _There's probably nothing to worry about,_ she told herself. _I can start to worry – just a little – if Captain Unohana calls for a Captain's Meeting on Thursday or Friday. But right now, there's no sense in worrying._

That thought firmly in mind, Orihime did her best to push aside her anxiety and focus on her paperwork. The Fourth Seat of Squad Eleven – who was still fairly new – had gotten himself incredibly beaten up that morning, and she had to get the proper billing ready to be sent out.

* * *

><p><strong>Ichigo couldn't<strong> quite contain the smirk as he approached the familiar dojo later that afternoon. Already he could hear the sounds of combat from within; over-eager battle-cries and the unmistakable sound of wooden swords clacking against each other. _What does it say about me that every time I come here I feel like I've come home?_ he wondered silently as he reached for the sliding doors. _Heh, probably I don't want the answer,_ he mused with a faint chuckle.

Appropriately, someone cried out in pain as he stepped through the door, and his attention was immediately drawn to the unfamiliar Soul Reaper in the center of the room who was currently rolling toward the far wall. His smirk broadened when he recognized the man standing victoriously across from him, one hand on his hip and wooden sword held at his side.

"Give up yet?" the man taunted as his opponent pushed to his knees.

The response was lost to Ichigo's ears as he turned his attention then, searching for the familiar faces he usually sought out when he visited. As he'd expected, they were standing off to the side, pretending to watch the combatants as they leaned against the wall.

Ichigo pushed his way easily through the small gathering of spectators (many of whom had obviously already taken their turn in the center), grunting passing hellos to the faces he recognized. It was amazing how much a squad could change in four short years.

When he was close enough, he called out, "Ikkaku, Yumichika."

The men in question lifted their heads, turning their attention toward him, and Ikkaku pushed to his feet as a grin curved his lips. "Well, look who's come back! Lookin' for a fight, Ichigo?"

"It crossed my mind," Ichigo replied as his smirk returned easily to his lips.

Ikkaku's grin broadened. "I should hope so; you do still remember the rules, don't you?"

"Ha," Ichigo retorted, "it hasn't been _**that**_ long since I left."

"Speaking of," Yumichika interrupted casually, still leaning against the wall. He met Ichigo's eyes easily and asked, "Did you hear that the Lieutenant's Meeting was moved?"

"Yeah," Ichigo replied with a faint shrug. "You think there's something odd about that?"

"It's just unusual is all," Yumichika said. "You should know as well as I do that Soul Society likes to stick to its schedules."

Ichigo's natural frown returned to his face as he admitted, "That's true." He shifted his gaze to his former Captain, then, and asked, "Do you know anything about it?"

Ikkaku scoffed and crossed his arms. "Of course not. Whatever might be going on, they're playing it pretty close right now."

Ichigo found himself staring out the window, unseeing, before he finally sighed and said, "Well, whatever it is, I guess we'll find out on Thursday."

Yumichika inclined his head faintly, reaching up to remove an invisible strand of hair from the side of his face and tucking it behind his ear.

After a moment of silence, Ichigo moved forward and pulled Zangetsu from his back, resting the large zanpakutou against the wall before reaching out and extracting a wooden sword from the stand and saying, "Alright, _**Captain Madarame,**_ let's see what you've got."

Ikkaku's eyes crinkled as his smirk returned and he pulled his own wooden sword free. "You're on, _**Lieutenant Kurosaki**_!"

As the two began moving, Yumichika lifted his voice to be heard above the other voices and called, "Clear the floor!"

Obediently the current combatants stood up properly and everyone moved aside as they realized who was preparing to fight.

Yumichika remained where he was as the fight began, wooden swords clacking together and trash talk flying within moments. _How many years has it been now?_ he wondered idly as his gaze settled on the white haori, and stylized kanji, that his long-time friend was wearing. He knew that Ikkaku was most likely no more used to the haori than he himself was to the badge he wore during Lieutenant's Meetings.

_It's frightening how much things have changed,_ he decided as he watched the fight with only mild interest. Ichigo and Ikkaku had been sparring ever since the day Ichigo had been recruited into Squad Eleven – nearly thirteen years prior. The day they had learned that Ichigo had accepted their offer (despite the fact that he technically hadn't finished his classes at the Academy yet) Ikkaku had been happier than Yumichika had seen him in a long time.

But, of course, he'd understood.

And neither of them had expected Ichigo to stay long, so it had come as no surprise when Ichigo had skyrocketed up to the rank of Fourth Seat in just four short years. Nor had it been surprising when, after Byakuya's latest Lieutenant died in combat and Rukia was transferred to Squad Six as a replacement, Ichigo was chosen to fill her newly-vacated seat – a mere five years later.

Still, despite the fact that he had spent only nine years as a member of Squad Eleven, Yumichika found he was grateful to Ichigo. It was true that many of his own friends – namely Ikkaku and Renji – had been saddened at Ichigo's death, despite not having actually spoken to him for many decades, but Ichigo's return had been good for Ikkaku.

Yumichika knew, though his friend would never admit it, that he had still been struggling with Kenpachi Zaraki's death. And he also knew that, in a strange way, Ichigo's arrival had been what he'd needed to truly begin putting it behind him. Perhaps it had reminded Ikkaku that Kenpachi was not as lost as it seemed, or maybe there was some other reason altogether, but whatever it was didn't matter. It had worked. And though Ikkaku was still occasionally grouchy about his 'new' title, Yumichika suspected it was less grief and more principle than it had been not too long ago.

The Lieutenant of Squad Eleven grinned as his friends went crashing into another sword-stand, scattering some of the gathered crowd in the process. If he was being honest, it wasn't hard for him to admit that he, too, had missed the orange-haired Soul Reaper.

* * *

><p><strong>Rukia headed<strong> straight home after Byakuya dismissed her for the day, and she was glad to see that she wasn't the first one there when she slipped through the door.

"If you're not my wife, I'm going to have to kill you!" Renji's teasing voice called from the kitchen.

Rukia rolled her eyes as she moved towards him. "Don't be an idiot," she teased back.

He turned to face her when she appeared, grinning broadly and setting down the spoon he'd been stirring with. "Welcome home," he said, ignoring her comment as he stepped toward her.

She let him pull her into a brief kiss before casting a wary glance at the counter and asking, "What, exactly, do you think you're doing?"

Renji cocked a tattooed eyebrow at her, reflexively following her gaze. "What does it look like I'm doing?"

"Cooking," Rukia replied easily.

"Yeah, well, 'first one home makes dinner,' remember?" Renji returned, dropping a large hand on her head and ruffling her hair before moving back to his masterpiece.

Rukia sighed and, reaching up to fix her hair, asked, "Which of us came up with that ridiculous rule again?"

"I believe it was you, sweetheart," Renji said calmly, not quite succeeding in keeping his lips from twitching with amusement.

Scrunching her nose in distaste, Rukia replied, "And why is it that that is one of the _**few**_ ideas I came up with that you've actually managed to _**remember**_?"

"Because you freak out whenever I'm in the kitchen," Renji replied without missing a beat.

"I do not freak out!" Rukia retorted immediately, stomping up to her taller husband and squaring her shoulders.

Renji turned a curious smirk in her direction and asked, "Then what do you call it?"

Rukia was silent for a long minute, before her eyes shifted to examine what it was he was preparing, and finally her shoulders slumped. After another minute she asked softly, "Do you remember when you said it would get easier?"

It was Renji's turn to be silent as he stared at her, doing his best to figure out which subject she had just jumped to. After a moment of studying her face, however, he realized what she meant, and a familiar frown darkened his expression. "I said 'eventually'," he reminded gently.

"I know," Rukia replied, looking back up at him again. "But when I went to visit Ukitake today I ran into her, and she was there for the entire time I was. And the worst part was, after she left, Ichigo asked me why she made Captain before Hanatarou."

Confusion overpowered the frown and Renji returned his attention to the dinner as he asked, "How's that a big deal?"

It was Rukia's turn to scowl, more in memory than at her husband's comment, and she said, "I might've gotten a little wrapped up in what I was saying, and I might've almost called her 'Orihime'."

"Did he catch it?" Renji asked seriously.

"If he did, he didn't call me out on it," Rukia said at length.

Renji set down the spoon he'd been stirring with and turned to her, letting one hand land on her shoulder. "Then don't dwell on it," he said. "It's not the kind of thing Ichigo'll bring up later – at least, not as long as you don't do it again."

Rukia sighed, lifting one hand to cover his and saying, "I know, I know, it's just…sometimes, I hate it. I'm glad to know they're both okay but I hate that they don't remember!"

Renji pulled her against him, letting her rest her head on his chest, and as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders he said, "We knew something like this would happen someday, Rukia. It's a big part of the reason we're not supposed to interact with humans the way we did."

"I know," Rukia mumbled into his shihakushou. She said nothing further, because she knew Renji was right – she knew she needed to let it go – and Renji followed her lead, holding her tightly for a long minute. At length, Rukia pulled back and smacked him lightly on the chest. "Get back to making dinner already, I'm hungry!"

Renji laughed, waving her away as he said, "Yeah, yeah, alright."

Rukia grinned before disappearing into the main sitting room, heading for the bathroom so that she could clean up before dinner. _Whatever will happen will happen,_ she told herself as she walked. _As long as they're happy, I have no right to be anything less either._

Although, if she were being entirely honest, she wasn't sure that they really were as happy as they presented themselves to be.

_**To Be Continued…**_

_**A/N:**_ Okay, first, let me say I tried to answer a lot of questions in this first chapter (between the summary and the actual chapter, I mean). _**But**_ there are some things that I deliberately didn't answer, so I ask you to please be patient! Many more details will unfold throughout the story, I promise! Of course, you're free to ask me a question or two in a review (*hint hint*) and if the answer isn't something that will spoil any upcoming piece of the story, I will answer it to the best of my ability. If it is, then I will ask you to wait a little more LOL Anyway, that all said, I do hope you enjoyed this opening chapter! Please review, and then go read the next one!


	2. The More Things Change

_**A/N:**_ Hello, and thanks to everyone who's decided to give this story a chance! I promise to do my best not to disappoint anyone! Also, good news: I don't have nearly so much to say this time, so I'll get to it a little earlier! LOL

**Pairings:** (I forgot to put this up last time…whoops!): IchiHime and RenRuki with little hints/mentions of a few others…I think.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Bleach, not even a little. And I promise you'll recognize my OCs when they make their appearances.

**Second Chance**

**Chapter Two: The More Things Change…**

** After the** initial formalities of the Lieutenant's Meeting had been covered, Isane took a deep breath and glanced around the room before her gaze eventually settled on the Lieutenant of Squad Two. "Hiryu," she said, addressing the man directly. When she had his – and everyone else's – attention, she added, "What news does the Stealth Force have for us?"

Hiryu had been the Lieutenant of Squad Two for nearly eighty-four years, having replaced Marechiyo Oumaeda after the latter had retired. He was easily as tall as Izuru Kira, with slightly-shaggy dark-blonde hair and piercing dark eyes. He had no unique, distinguishing features (at least in what was visible around his shihakushou), and he wore his zanpakutou over his back.

When Isane had asked her question, Hiryu obediently stood and stepped forward so that it would be easier for him to address his colleagues. He glanced around before he spoke, ascertaining that he did, in fact, have everyone's attention. Some were notably more suspicious than others, but he brushed it off and launched into his speech.

"Since most of you are unaware of what the Stealth Force has been investigating recently, I'll start there," he said. "Two and a half weeks ago Head Captain Unohana received an anonymous tip that there was a group of individuals on the outskirts of the Rukongai who were plotting against the Soul Society. No further details were given, and so Head Captain Unohana asked the Stealth Force to seek out further information in order to determine the proper response."

Murmurs whispered through the group as many pairs of eyes widened.

Hiryu waited for the murmurs to die down, which they did quickly, before he continued. "It took us several days to locate this group, but we did, and unfortunately what we found was not what we had expected. This 'group' of individuals is larger than we anticipated, and they've clearly been plotting for some time – they're well armed, well organized, and well hidden."

"So why didn't you take them out while you were there?" Ichigo asked when Hiryu paused.

The gathered Lieutenants turned their attention to the orange-haired Soul Reaper when he spoke, before turning back to Hiryu expectantly.

Hiryu's expression took a frustrated turn and he said, "Our orders were very specific: we were on a fact-gathering mission and nothing more. We were not to engage in combat unless absolutely necessary, no matter what we found. And, truthfully, from what we saw, I doubt the number of men on the expedition mission would have been enough to properly eliminate the threat."

Rangiku was the next to speak up, one hand on her hip as she asked, "Then what are we supposed to be doing about this, exactly?"

"I don't know the details of that," Hiryu replied. "I reported our findings to my Captain late yesterday afternoon, and I imagine she has already informed the Head Captain. But to my knowledge no decisions have been made yet, other than that we need everyone to be aware of the problem."

"We…_**are**_ going to do something though, right?" Hanatarou asked hesitantly, eyes casting around the room in the hopes that someone would have an answer for him. His gaze eventually settled on Isane out of habit, and he added, "I mean, if we sit on it too long, couldn't this turn into a real problem?"

"I imagine it could," Isane replied at length, her eyes falling to the floor.

Rukia spoke up next, addressing her question to Isane as well. "But surely Head Captain Unohana won't sit on this information, right? I can't imagine her being so lax with something like this."

"Neither can I," Isane said immediately, lifting her eyes to look at Rukia as she spoke. "I'm sure she'll do something about it soon."

Izuru Kira, current Lieutenant of Squad Nine, said confidently, "I imagine she'll call a Captain's Meeting first, to discuss the issue. We'll probably hear our orders from them."

"I agree," Nemu Kurotsuchi replied calmly.

"Well," Yumichika declared, crossing his arms as he spoke. "I for one hope we don't sit on this information for long. If we act quickly there's no reason why we wouldn't be able to put a stop to them before they become a problem."

"Wait," Takuya Fujimoto, the new Lieutenant of Squad Three, interrupted, turning his attention back to Hiryu. "What did you mean by 'armed'? Armed with what, exactly?"

Hiryu's expression turned grim before he replied, "We weren't able to get inside their hideout – they were careful to always leave a handful of people inside – but from what we saw…it seems many of them have zanpakutous of their own. Whether they have gone through any professional training is impossible to know, of course. And what other, concealed weapons, they may have we also don't know. But several individuals were strapped with other bladed and explosive weapons."

"Then they're not to be taken lightly," Yumichika deduced evenly.

"Not at all," Hiryu agreed.

Silence reigned in the room for several minutes, before Ichigo finally spoke. "This is bullshit," he declared firmly. "We shouldn't be sitting here talking about it, we should be mobilizing a team to go out there and take them down. Yeah, it's good to know they're armed, but so are we. If we go out expecting a fight then I don't see why we wouldn't win. Who cares if there are a lot of them? There are a whole damn lot of us, too, and they don't know we know about them yet."

"Personally," Hiryu said, "I'm with you. But that's not what we've been told to do."

"Still," Rukia added, "Ichigo does have a point. The sooner we act the better."

Isane stood when she saw the others nodding their agreement and she declared, "Alright, I see no reason to continue this Lieutenant's Meeting. I'll go immediately to Head Captain Unohana and make sure she's aware of the situation, and I'll inform her of what we've discussed."

The other Lieutenants stood as well, nodding once more before turning and beginning to file out of the room.

* * *

><p><strong>"I'm sorry<strong> for not telling you all of the rumors when I first heard of them," Head Captain Retsu Unohana declared as she finished her speech. "But the situation is now something you all need to be firmly aware of if we are to take proper steps in dealing with it."

"Well, I have to say," Shunsui Kyouraku began after a moment's silence, "that's not good news."

"That's a bit of an understatement, don't you think, Shunsui?" Juushirou asked rhetorically, his voice still slightly weaker than usual.

Shunsui lifted a hand and tilted his favorite straw hat at his old friend with a faint grin.

"If I may, Head Captain," Shuuhei Hisagi, Captain of Squad Nine, began politely. When Unohana inclined her head, he continued. "What measures are we going to take?"

"That is what we're here to discuss," she replied calmly. "The one thing I do not want to do is give these men and women the time to enact whatever plans they have been formulating, and the report that Soi Fon gave me inclines me to believe that they are closer to ready than not."

"I absolutely agree," Choujirou Sasakibe, Captain of Squad Three, asserted firmly.

"As do I," Toushirou Hitsugaya agreed with a slight incline of his head.

"If we're all in agreement," Ikkaku began, shifting his weight as he spoke, "then why don't we organize a team to head out and eliminate them?"

"It would be better to take the fight to them than to let them bring it to us," the Captain of Squad Seven, Tetsuzaemon Iba, echoed firmly.

"I do agree," Unohana stated. "Does anyone have another suggestion?"

"We need to take precautions to protect ourselves as well," Byakuya reminded calmly. "I have no objection to an offensive force, but I believe it would be wise to keep forces here as well."

"That's true," Toushirou said. "We shouldn't assume that they aren't aware that we know what they're up to."

"If you ask me," Mayuri interrupted, projecting his voice slightly to talk over the younger Captain, "I think we're overemphasizing the problem. Just send the Stealth Force to handle the situation and be done with it."

Soi Fon cut a sideways glare to the scientist as she said, "You seem to be under the impression that the Stealth Force is just sitting on their hands, Captain Kurotsuchi."

"Well surely you have the manpower," Mayuri returned. "Isn't this what the Stealth Force is for in the first place?"

"That's enough," Unohana interrupted calmly. "The Stealth Force is currently deployed on many assignments, and though I would like Captain Soi Fon to keep a contingent of men on reserve, I would rather not involve them."

Soi Fon inclined her head respectfully. "Of course, Head Captain," she said.

Unohana swept her gaze outward again, looking around the room at the line-up of men and women before her. "I do agree with Captains Kuchiki and Hitsugaya – and to that end, I have no intention of leaving the Seireitei unprotected. And, in the interest of cooperation, I will take into consideration your own preferences for assignment."

"In that case," Mayuri said, "I would like to stay here. This doesn't sound like my kind of problem."

"Very well," Unohana replied, "But I expect you to be ready should a situation arise where we need your particular expertise, Captain Kurotsuchi."

Mayuri sighed, scratching his cheek as he grumbled, "I suppose I can do that."

Unohana smiled before continuing. "Does anyone else have a preference?"

Shunsui spoke up, saying, "I would like to volunteer myself and Juushirou to stay here as well. Although I'm sure we'd both be happy to send men out to aid the fight."

"Ah, yes," Juushirou agreed, with obvious reluctance. "I'm not yet ready for that kind of fight. But I'm sure Ichigo would be happy to fight on the front lines with the others."

Orihime piped up next from her spot between Soi Fon and Byakuya. "If it's alright, I would like to join the front line. I think it would be a good idea to have medical help readily available, and I'll leave Hanatarou here to be in charge of the squad in my absence."

"All excellent ideas," Unohana stated with a faint nod of approval.

"Obviously I'll take a group of my men out to fight," Ikkaku declared.

"With your permission," Renji began from where he stood opposite his former Captain, "I'd like to fight as well."

"I expected as much," Unohana replied with another nod. When no one else spoke up, she said, "Very well. In addition to the volunteers, I would like Captains Hitsugaya and Hisagi to join the offensive, and I would like the rest of you to remain here. Soi Fon and Tetsuzaemon will prepare teams, but remain here as back-up, should it become necessary. The rest of you are to remain here to defend Seireitei."

When everyone nodded, accepting their orders, Unohana added, "Those of you leading the offensive, please select squad members to join you. Also, I will hear suggestions from all Captains for squad members to accompany them, in addition to Lieutenant Kurosaki."

Again, Byakuya spoke up, eyes closed as he casually declared, "I am sure that my Lieutenant would prefer to join the offensive as well."

Renji clenched his fists, but said nothing. He knew Byakuya was right – Rukia would wreak all sorts of havoc if she were left behind.

Unohana nodded again, glancing briefly to Renji before saying, "Very well. Lieutenant Rukia Abarai will also join the offensive."

After a few more rounds of suggestions, Unohana dismissed them, leaving them with instructions to finalize their teams and prepare for departure within forty-eight hours.

* * *

><p><strong>"Oh, good,<strong> you're here," Juushirou declared when he returned, Kiyone and Sentarou in tow, to find Ichigo staring out over the main courtyard. He was leaning forward, elbows on the rim of the banister that separated the walkway from the courtyard, a severe, thoughtful scowl on his face and eyes narrowed.

When Juushirou spoke Ichigo stood, turning to face him properly and his scowl softening just a little. "Captain Ukitake," he said, "I take it you've heard about the problem in the Rukongai?"

"Yes," Juushirou replied with a small nod. "As a matter of fact, that's what I wanted to discuss with you."

Ichigo stepped back slightly as Juushirou moved to the railing, resting his hands on it and looking out over the courtyard. He stayed silent as he waited for his Captain to continue.

After a long moment, Juushirou said, "Unfortunately, as you know, I'm still not feeling my best. Because of that, I won't be able to join the offensive troops."

"Yeah, but, they don't need everybody anyway," Ichigo offered, sensing that the older man was bothered by the reality of his situation.

"Ah, I know," Juushirou assured him with a faint, almost-bitter chuckle. "But back to my point: as you might have figured out, Head Captain Unohana has decided to send a good-sized gathering of Soul Reapers out to handle the situation before it becomes more of a problem. She's split the Captains nearly in half, actually. And everyone who is chosen for this offensive is to depart forty-eight hours from now."

"Good," Ichigo said with a sharp nod.

Juushirou smiled, though his Lieutenant couldn't see the gesture, and after a moment he added, "Ichigo, I would like it if you would join them."

Ichigo blinked, surprised his Captain would actually volunteer him for a mission like this. It was no secret, after all, that Juushirou was violently opposed to the idea of losing another squad member unnecessarily. Still, it was an assignment Ichigo genuinely wanted, and he suspected his Captain knew that as well.

"Alright," Ichigo replied. "Can I ask who I'll be going with?"

"Well, of course I don't know who the other Captains will choose to bring, but I can tell you the names you'll know," Juushirou said easily.

"Toushirou is the senior Captain, and I suspect he'll bring his Lieutenant. Shuuhei will be going as well, though he said he'll be asking Izuru to remain behind, and of course Ikkaku and Yumichika will be going. Renji and Rukia will also be there, and Soi Fon volunteered her Lieutenant, Hiryu, since he was in charge of the original expedition. And in addition, Orihime volunteered, and I imagine she'll be bringing a small contingent to help take care of the rest of you."

"Sounds like we're not pulling our punches this time," Ichigo declared when Juushirou was done.

Juushirou chuckled again. "I suppose you could say that, yes." He turned, then, and looked straight into Ichigo's eyes before he added, "Ichigo, promise me one thing before you go. Promise me you'll be careful."

Ichigo's lips curved in a gesture that was somewhere between a smile and a grin, and he inclined his head. "Don't worry about me, I can handle myself."

"I know," Juushirou said with a smile, reaching out and clapping Ichigo on the shoulder. "But I have to say it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I need to lie down."

Ichigo watched in silence as Juushirou continued on his way to his quarters, Kiyone and Sentarou trailing once more behind him. He was glad to know he'd get a chance to participate in the fighting, but he wasn't stupid – he realized it wouldn't be easy. Even so, it was a challenge he looked forward to.

* * *

><p><strong>On the<strong> morning of their departure Hanatarou met Orihime in her office as she finished her preparations.

"Oh, good morning, Hanatarou," Orihime greeted with a smile.

"Good morning, Captain," Hanatarou replied, bowing formally. When he straightened, he hesitated before asking, "Um, Captain, are you _**sure**_ you don't want me going with you?"

Orihime paused, her hand hovering over the zipper to the bag she'd just finished packing. With a reassuring smile, she nodded and said, "Yes, Hanatarou. I want to know Seireitei is properly taken care of while I'm out, and I trust you the most for that. Of course, there's no guarantee that anything at all will happen here while we're gone, but it's always better to be prepared, right?"

"Well, yes, of course," Hanatarou agreed. "But…what if something goes wrong while you're out there?"

"No scenario is perfect," Orihime admitted, swiftly tugging the zipper closed and swinging the bag over her shoulder. "But I'm taking nine squad members with me, so I think we'll be alright. I talked with the other Captains yesterday, and we're going to split our groups up into five teams, each headed by one of us and one Lieutenant. So including me, we'll have enough to put two members of Squad Four on each team. We'll just have to send for back-up if we need more."

Hanatarou watched as she turned, then, and picked up her zanpakutou. He had only rarely seen her use it, and most of those situations had been when she'd still been in training, back when she was still new to the squad. She only rarely carried it with her, as she only rarely ever needed it. But, of course, he – and in fact _**most**_ of Soul Society – knew what it could do.

As she slipped the sheathed sword into the loop at her hip Hanatarou released a breath and said, "You're right, of course, Captain. But please be careful."

Orihime stepped up to him and smiled brightly. "I will be, I promise! Now, Isane said she'd be willing to come lend a hand if something goes wrong and you get overwhelmed, so don't be afraid to ask, alright?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Hanatarou replied.

Scrunching up her face, Orihime held up one finger and said, "Hanatarou Yamada, I'm too young for that!" With a faint laugh she threw in a wink for good measure before sweeping past him, calling, "I'll see you when I get back!"

Hanatarou turned, watching as she left, and after the door was solidly shut and he could hear her moving away, he whispered, "Good luck, Miss Orihime."

* * *

><p><strong>Everyone was <strong>gathered at the Western Gate, the nearest exit to their destination, and the Captains and Lieutenants paused to take a moment and organize their soldiers.

"We should break into teams before we leave," Toushirou suggested after everyone was lined up properly. "That way, when we get there, we'll be able to break off that much faster."

"Sounds good to me," Renji agreed.

"I brought enough squad members so that each team could have two of us, of course with me being one of them for my team," Orihime pointed out.

"An excellent idea," Toushirou said with a nod. "Alright, Rangiku, you'll be with me. Obviously Yumichika will be with Ikkaku and Rukia with Renji. Hiryu, you'll be on Shuuhei's team, and Ichigo, you'll be with Orihime."

"Fine with me," Hiryu replied easily.

"Right," Ichigo agreed with a sharp nod.

"Why don't we all split up our men," Shuuhei suggested. "That should give us all a good balance of fighting styles and abilities."

"Yeah, alright," Ikkaku replied.

"Sure," Renji added.

Each Captain quickly proceeded to split up the groups they'd brought, assigning several to each team in order to make the numbers as even as possible. When the teams were decided they turned to the gate once more.

"Now that that's done," Toushirou began, "it's time to go. Once we arrive we'll take a moment to gather our surroundings before branching off. Our best strategy would be to surround the enemy if at all possible. But above all make sure to _**stay with your team**_."

A chorus of agreement rang out, briefly, and then the gate was opened.

_**To Be Continued…**_

_**A/N:**_ Eek! Okay, I know this chapter was a little short, but it couldn't be helped! This was just the best place to wrap it up! So, I hope I've sufficiently gotten your interest, and (of course) I hope you enjoyed this chapter! In fact, if you'd be so kind, maybe you could drop me a note to let me know your thoughts so far? And of course, please come back for chapter three!


	3. Dangerous Situations I

_**A/N:**_ Welcome back my faithful readers! …gah, okay, I have no idea why I said that… *ahem* Anyway, hello and welcome to chapter three! For simplicity's sake, please refer to the A/N in chapter one if you have any questions. And since I don't have to get into all that again I can just say: I hope you enjoy this installment!

**Disclaimer:** I still do not own Bleach in any way whatsoever. As you may've guessed, Hiryu is mine (along with a couple others…).

**Second Chance**

**Chapter Three: Dangerous Situations I**

** The teams** moved swiftly, doing their best to keep out of sight in order to prevent alerting their enemies to their impending arrival. Conversations were brief and hushed as the lower-ranking Soul Reapers followed their designated superiors. The Captains and Lieutenants made sure to stay close to their team, each following the group ahead of them, with Hitsugaya's team in front.

When they were well past the last village, and therefore undeniably in the forest that had been deemed 'the outskirts of Rukongai,' the large gathering of Soul Reapers slowed to a stop.

Toushirou turned to Hiryu and asked, "Are we close?"

Hiryu inclined his head. "Yeah, it's not far from here. In fact, if we're gonna split up, we should do that soon. Much farther in and we'll need to keep our eyes peeled for traps."

Toushirou nodded. "That's a good idea. Does everyone remember the report?"

One by one, as they met Toushirou's gaze, the other Captains and Lieutenants nodded in silent affirmation.

"Good," Toushirou said, "then what we're going to do is fan out. Shuuhei, I want you to position your team on the Eastern side of their position."

"Understood," Shuuhei replied with a sharp nod when Toushirou paused.

"Ikkaku, position your team on the Western side," Toushirou continued.

"Sure," Ikkaku replied, lazily balancing his zanpakutou over his shoulders.

"Orihime, are you willing to hold the front line?"

Orihime nodded easily. "Yes," she replied.

Inclining his head, Toushirou finished, "Excellent. Then mine and Renji's teams will come at them from behind. Hopefully that will discourage any running further into the forest, where it would be hardest to track them."

"Sounds good to me," Renji declared, one hand landing reflexively on Zabimaru's hilt.

"When everyone's in position we'll move in simultaneously," Toushirou added, again glancing around at everyone. "We'll use Hell Butterflies to orchestrate our movements, instead of spiritual pressure, in order to avoid tipping them off. And remember, we need to know what they're up to, so try _**not**_ to kill them unless absolutely necessary."

Ikkaku made a face at this final statement, but when Toushirou leveled a warning glare at him he reluctantly nodded. "Yeah, alright, no killing," he grumbled.

"Any final questions?" Toushirou asked. When no one spoke up, he nodded and said, "Then let's get going."

"Right!" the others chorused.

Multiple, light, tinkling sounds filled the air as each Captain released enough Hell Butterflies to send one with each of the remaining teams. As soon as the tiny messengers had reached their destinations the teams split up, each flash-stepping to their designations.

* * *

><p><strong>"This is <strong>probably as close as we can get without alerting them," Hiryu whispered to the slightly-taller, and slightly-older, man who was acting as his superior.

Shuuhei nodded, piercing eyes staying forward as he crouched beside Hiryu. "I agree." With one hand, he silently signaled their men to settle in, and the Soul Reapers behind them immediately dropped to a crouch.

Now all they had to do was wait until the others were in position.

* * *

><p><strong>"If we<strong> go much closer," Yumichika began quietly as he and Ikkaku led their team cautiously forward, "Captain Hitsugaya's liable to be angry with us."

"Yeah, yeah," Ikkaku grumbled as he used his sheathed sword to gently part two leafy bushes, allowing them a view of the quickly-clearing foliage. "But from here we should be able to see when some idiot makes a break for it."

"Very true," Yumichika agreed as he leaned slightly forward in order to peer through the small hole.

Behind them, their team quietly settled, hands resting on their zanpakutous as they awaited the order to strike.

* * *

><p><strong>Renji's team<strong> had split from Toushirou's once they'd rounded the area that their foes had claimed, so that the two teams could better cover the potential retreat-zone. They were close enough that they could still sense the mostly-repressed spiritual pressure of the other team, but they could not see them.

"This is probably good," Rukia whispered over her shoulder to her husband.

"How the hell did you get ahead of me?" Renji asked, keeping his voice down but otherwise ignoring her comment.

Rukia rolled her eyes. "The old-fashioned way, honey," she replied sarcastically.

Renji dropped a hand on her shoulder, holding her firmly in place, and said, "Yeah, well, stay put. We don't wanna go any closer just yet."

"You really need to pay more attention," Rukia grumbled, crossing her arms but allowing him to keep his hand in place.

Renji knelt beside her, other hand again resting on Zabimaru, and the team took his actions as a silent cue to prepare themselves. The fight would be soon.

* * *

><p><strong>Toushirou held<strong> his hand in the air and the team behind him instantly stilled. "This is good, hold your positions," he instructed quietly. He was crouched, mostly behind a wide tree, leaning enough around to get a good look at the not-too-distant building. Despite the reports, it was larger than he'd anticipated.

Rangiku took up position beside him, her back pressed to the other side of the thick tree, and she whispered, "Is everyone ready?"

"Almost," he replied in an equally hushed tone. "Prepare yourself, Rangiku."

"Of course," Rangiku said, a hint of teasing seeping into her voice.

Toushirou huffed, cutting a sidelong glance at her, before returning his attention forward. As soon as everyone confirmed their positions, they would move.

* * *

><p><strong>Orihime had <strong>taken her team forward after the others had split off, moving quickly but cautiously until she was no longer comfortable continuing. "Ichigo," she whispered, casting a glance over her shoulder at the Lieutenant who was following her quietly.

Ichigo met her gaze immediately, his brown eyes asking his question silently.

With a sheepish smile, she asked, "Are you comfortable in combat situations?"

"You could say that," he replied carefully. "Why?"

"Well, I'm really not much of a fighter, which probably doesn't surprise you," she admitted softly, falling back enough to be beside him. "I can handle myself in a fight, but I'm not comfortable being in charge of others in a situation like this."

Understanding what she was trying to ask, Ichigo offered her a faint, rare smile and said, "Don't worry about it; I can take over, and you can just correct me if I make a call you disagree with."

"Thank you," Orihime replied with a smile. He inclined his head silently and then she turned around to address the Soul Reapers trailing behind them. Projecting her voice just slightly, she said, "Listen up, please. As soon as the fighting starts, Lieutenant Kurosaki will be taking charge."

When she stopped, seemingly done, Ichigo added, "That doesn't mean you can ignore Captain Inoue if she gives you an order, understand?"

As the men and women nodded, Orihime looked back at Ichigo, blinking several times as her cheeks flushed. She couldn't believe she'd forgotten to add that.

He smirked back at her briefly before turning his eyes forward again. Voice firm and low, he called, "Everyone take cover behind some trees or bushes; we're close enough."

As the Soul Reapers moved to obey Ichigo's order, Orihime attempted to duck behind a bush, and Ichigo grabbed her elbow to pull her with him, behind a tree. When she gave him a confused look, he grumbled, "We can see better from here."

Orihime said nothing, focusing on fighting down the unexpected blush that wanted to rise to her cheeks when she realized how closely they were standing. She only barely remembered to let the others know that they were in position.

Now all that was left was to wait.

* * *

><p><strong>When the<strong> last team rang in that they were ready Toushirou paused only long enough to ascertain that the few wandering men he could see didn't seem to be aware of them, and then he gave the signal.

"Let's move," he said, sending the message to the Hell Butterflies fluttering around him. He waited a second longer, to give the message time to reach the others, before he reached up and wrapped his hand around the hilt of his zanpakutou. Lifting his voice to be heard by his own team, he added, "It's time, let's go!"

Rangiku was hot on his heels as he sprinted forward, her own hand poised to draw Haineko as soon as she needed to. The rest of their makeshift squad followed obediently, some with swords already drawn, and some not.

Not too far away, they sensed Renji's team surging forward as well. And the spiritual pressures of Ikkaku's and Shuuhei's teams had increased enough to indicate that they were on the move, too.

Their team had only sprinted forward a few yards when the first wandering man spotted them.

The battle cry went up instantly as he shouted out and reached for the sword at his hip. He jogged a few paces back to put some more distance between them, and another man ran up to his side to join him.

"Take them down!" Toushirou commanded.

Around him his team spread out, engaging several of the individuals who were already pouring out of the large building.

One of the men aimed a projectile at him, and Rangiku knocked it off-course with a well-aimed kidou. It exploded mid-air, doing no more than ruffling her loose hair.

Toushirou pulled Hyourinmaru from his sheath, swinging the zanpakutou forward in time to crash against another as an older, angry man attempted to remove his head.

"What're you doing here, Soul Reaper?" the man growled as he pushed back.

"I believe you know the answer to that," Toushirou responded coldly. "But it's not too late to reach a peaceful conclusion if you tell your comrades to _**stand down**_, and perhaps you could explain to us just what you and your friends are up to?"

The man snarled and removed one hand from the hilt of his sword in order to aim it, palm-forward, at Toushirou. "Not a chance in hell!" he asserted, emphasizing his point by adding a command Toushirou hadn't wanted to hear. A kidou.

The resulting blast sent the Captain skidding back several paces as he swung Hyourinmaru out in a wide arc.

"Captain!" Rangiku cried from a few yards to the side, where she was currently locked in combat with another man.

"I'm fine," Toushirou assured her with gritted teeth. "Be on guard, Rangiku."

His opponent laughed and called, "Take your own advice, _**Captain!**_" With that he surged forward, swinging his sword violently.

Toushirou's gaze narrowed and he curved his zanpakutou up as he called, "_**Reign over the frosted Heavens, Hyourinmaru!**_"

* * *

><p><strong>Chaos had <strong>quickly erupted after the attack had begun. A small army had poured out of the building, and instead of trying to flee, they had immediately begun fighting back. The Stealth Force had been right – these people were incredibly well-armed and frighteningly well-prepared. It was a very good thing they had decided to bring the fight to them.

As the first wave had begun racing forward, Ichigo commanded the men to move, and Orihime had watched in unexpected fascination as he led the group to meet the enemy.

He raced forward, a determined set to his jaw that emphasized the scowl on his face and the intensity in his eyes, and as he neared his first opponent he reached up, wrapping one strong hand around Zangetsu's hilt.

Orihime had never seen him fight, or even spar, and she was caught completely off-guard by the overwhelming sense of déjà vu that hit her as she watched the white bandage unravel from the gleaming blade. For an instant the massive sword was poised over his back, and she had an excellent view of it before he leapt into the air and brought the sword forward.

Ichigo released a guttural battle-cry as his sword crashed into that of his first opponent. The man who'd targeted him was wide-eyed as his sword was easily destroyed. Zangetsu sliced through the thin silver blade like butter, and blood sprayed wide as the tip of the mighty zanpakutou tore through the man's flesh. Ichigo pulled back, swinging Zangetsu out to his side and subsequently shaking the blood off.

As the man fell, conscious but bleeding and seemingly weaponless, Ichigo moved on to another opponent.

The man Orihime had kept with her from Squad Four, who was standing beside her, started as he realized one of their enemies was injured already. Hesitantly, he asked, "…Captain? Should I tend to his wounds?"

Orihime glanced at the injured man, realizing her eyes had automatically followed Ichigo, and studied him for a moment. Then she said, "No, not yet. His wounds aren't life-threatening, but they should give him reason to hesitate before re-entering the fight, and right now that's what we want. For the time being, we need to keep our eyes peeled in case any of our own people get hurt."

"Yes, of course, Captain," her subordinate replied immediately, tearing his own eyes from the injured man.

Orihime's focus had already returned to Ichigo.

She was watching with rapt attention as he battled a larger man, who seemed able to parry his sword with some competence. That sense of déjà vu was still tingling up her spine, though it wasn't as strong as it had been initially. Every move he made seemed to keep it going, running through her and distracting her from everything else.

Ichigo shoved, putting just enough distance between himself and his opponent to lift his leg and deliver a sharp kick to the other man's abdomen. The man went skidding backwards but stayed on his feet, even – though barely – managing to block Ichigo's next swing.

Because of her intent focus, Orihime failed to notice two of the men sneaking past their forces and approaching her and her Eighth Seat. It wasn't until her subordinate made a startled noise, in fact, that she realized they were under attack.

Two men, with swords drawn, were lunging towards them. One had even leapt into the air, to better prevent them from ducking out of the way.

Fortunately, Orihime had quick reflexes, and she managed to pull her own zanpakutou free as she called, "_**Reject,**_ Shun Rikka! Shiten Koushun!"

An instant before the attacks would have connected a shimmering golden barrier solidified between the two men and herself and her Eighth Seat. The younger Soul Reaper watched in fascination as, a heartbeat later, the two men were thrown backwards forcefully as the barrier flared for a moment.

The men were still struggling to gather themselves from the unexpected counter-attack, and Orihime was watching them carefully, unwilling to let them get another opportunity to attack.

"Captain!" her Eighth Seat called suddenly, his eyes cast beyond her.

Orihime turned, her Shiten Koushun remaining where it was, and realized too late what her subordinate was warning her about. Another man, wielding an already-released zanpakutou, was lunging at them.

Even if she could re-direct her shield in time to counter the attack, she realized they would be vulnerable still, as one of the other men was back on his feet. The attackers were too far apart for her to block simultaneously.

_I can't risk us both._ "Run," Orihime instructed as she prepared to attempt to intercept the new attacker with kidou.

Her Eighth Seat stared up at her, too shocked to properly reply.

His would-be response was interrupted, as well as Orihime's barely begun kidou, when Ichigo suddenly crashed into the airborne attacker.

"You bastard!" Ichigo growled as Zangetsu slammed into the other zanpakutou fiercely, sending sparks flying everywhere. Pushing heavily, Ichigo forced the other man back and sent him crashing to the ground.

Ichigo spun mid-air, turning his attention to the other two, and with a wide swing he bellowed, "_**Getsuga Tenshou!**_"

Orihime watched as the spiritual pressure flew off of the blade and slammed into the two men, sending them crashing back into the ground and knocking them completely unconscious. The déjà vu was back with a vengeance, though this time only for an instant.

Ichigo landed behind where she stood, keeping himself between her and the third attacker – who was still conscious and struggling to regain his footing.

As her Shiten Koushun faded, Orihime turned and smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you," she said.

"Are you alright?" Ichigo asked, holding Zangetsu down at his side as he studied her. His gaze flickered, briefly, to her Eighth Seat, before returning to her.

"Yes," Orihime replied reassuringly. "We're fine."

"Good," Ichigo said, turning his eyes away from her as a strange twinge of déjà vu rose within him. He had no idea where it had come from, but it went away quickly and he brushed it off. _At least she's alright,_ he told himself.

For some reason, when he had glanced back to check on her and seen the man lunging at her, the strangest sense of panic had gripped his heart. He didn't even remember disabling his earlier opponent, though he knew he must have since he had broken away from him. But however he'd done it, and whatever it was that had worried him, everything was alright, because it had worked out. Or, at least, it had mostly all worked out – he still had the man with the released zanpakutou to deal with.

The same man who'd aimed his bladed weapon at Captain Inoue – possibly the gentlest, most harmless woman he'd ever met.

His grip tightened on Zangetsu's hilt as he squared his shoulders and focused his glare on his enemy. The man was on his feet now, and wiping a thin stream of blood from his jaw. He was smirking arrogantly at Ichigo, challenging him without words. _Fine,_ Ichigo thought, reaching forward and wrapping his left around the bottom of Zangetsu's hilt. _Let's see what he's got._

As Ichigo leapt forward, engaging the other man once more, Orihime took a moment to look back toward the battlefield. The rest of her team was still fighting as well, and though some of them had minor wounds, none were injured enough to require their intervention just yet. And then her eyes landed on the man Ichigo had been fighting earlier.

He was lying, unconscious, a notable distance from where they'd been fighting. His weapon was shattered into multiple pieces, the hilt discarded nearly two body-lengths from his hand. Only a small pool of blood was visible beneath him, and Orihime found herself surprised that Ichigo had managed to defeat him without causing more injury. Or, at least, more _**visible**_ injury.

Orihime pulled her gaze away, looking around once more. She was determined to be more vigilant this time. She was a Captain, after all, and it was embarrassing to let three enemies sneak up on her. _I don't think Captain Unohana would approve,_ she admonished herself silently.

A sudden, ground-shaking explosion rocked the battlefield, yanking Orihime's focus outward once more. Dirt, smoke, and intense heat rushed past her, forcing her to squint and lift her free hand to shield her eyes as she attempted to see what had happened. Beside her, she heard her Eighth Seat cry out as he wobbled with the quivering ground, both arms lifted to protect his face.

Ichigo cursed as the explosion threw him away from his opponent, sending him rolling several feet before he stabbed Zangetsu into the ground and caught himself. _…the fuck?_ Ichigo wondered silently as he squinted into the resulting cloud of debris. Pushing to his feet, he pulled Zangetsu up and swung the blade out, hoping to disperse the smoke.

And then the screaming started. Just one voice at first, crying out in obvious agony. But it was quickly joined by another, and then another.

The screaming voices were not coming from one central location, but rather from various distances around the battlefield. A myriad of nightmarish scenarios were flashing through Orihime's mind's eye as she waited impatiently to see through the smoke. _What happened?_ she wondered, worry settling heavy in her gut.

When the smoke finally did clear, a small part of her instantly wished it hadn't.

Five men from their team were on the ground and bleeding profusely. Even from her distance, Orihime could clearly see that two of them were already dead. Two more were unconscious, and probably so near to death that they would not wake up again of their own accord. It was the fifth man, who was furthest from her position, that she had heard scream first.

He was panting heavily, no longer screaming but groaning in pain, one bloody hand clutching the front of his shihakushou as he lay on his side. One of his legs was missing from the knee down, and judging by the amount of blood he was losing, Orihime doubted he'd be conscious for much longer. His zanpakutou was nothing but a hilt, gripped tightly in his other hand – which was also covered in blood.

And there were still more people screaming from further away. More Soul Reapers who seemed to have been caught in the explosion.

Swallowing heavily as her stomach did a slight flip – she had never been one for violence – Orihime gripped her own zanpakutou tightly and said, "Go and see if other teams need your help. I'll see what I can do here. And please be careful – I think the ground is littered with explosives."

"Th-the ground, Captain?" her subordinate stuttered, staring wide-eyed at the carnage ahead of them.

"Yes," she replied. "It makes the most sense. Now go, hurry!"

"Yes, ma'am!" he cried, half panicked, before he sprinted forward.

Orihime was about to follow suit, to aid the men who were alive, and see what she could do about the ones who weren't, when Ichigo called to her.

"Wait, Captain!" Ichigo called from off to the side. His voice was tight, but otherwise unreadable.

Orihime turned her head to look at him. He was once again in battle with the other man (who looked like he'd broken his arm in the explosion). "What is it?" she asked, suddenly worried that he'd been injured.

Ichigo grunted and forced the man back, into a tree, before he glanced at her and said, "I think you're right about the landmines, but if that's the case then it's not safe for you to run out there!"

She felt a small smile tugging at her lips. "I'll be fine, don't worry." Before he could argue further, Orihime turned and dashed forward. She was touched by his concern, but it was her job to take care of their wounded – and sometimes that meant risking her own life in the process.

"Captain Inoue!" Ichigo shouted, to no avail, as she started quickly forward.

She was running fearlessly ahead, into the thick of the fight, to save three men who were more dead than alive.

He wanted to call her crazy; he wanted to shake her until she realized what she was doing. But mostly, he wanted her to live.

_**To Be Continued…**_

_**A/N:**_ There's nothing quite like a life-and-death situation to kick-start a romance, right? LOL Anyway, there's chapter three! I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you're interested enough to go read the next one! (Although you're more than allowed to pause long enough to review if you'd like ^_~)


	4. Dangerous Situations II

_**A/N:**_ Hello, and welcome to chapter four! I still don't have anything new to say, so I won't waste your time with my rambling!

**Disclaimer:** I absolutely do not own Bleach – not at all. But I do own a few random characters scattered sporadically throughout this story.

**Second Chance**

**Chapter Four: Dangerous Situations II**

** Orihime could** feel Ichigo's eyes on her as she cut through the battlefield, and she tried to tell herself that he was just concerned in the same way any Lieutenant would be concerned about any Captain other than their own – or, for that matter, the same way anyone would be concerned about a comrade running into a dangerous area. It certainly wouldn't make sense for him to be concerned in any other way. Nor would it make sense for her to feel strangely happy by the notion that there might be some other reason for his concern.

But before she could think further on the matter she had reached her destination.

The dying – and dead – men weren't all gathered in a small cluster, however no one was fighting around them, either. The remaining combatants had moved their battles away from the defeated Soul Reapers.

This was good for her – it meant she could use her preferred technique.

Shifting the weight of Shun Rikka in her hand, she held the sword out and called, "Souten Kisshun." The blade flashed gold, and then a large golden dome had formed over the bodies of the Soul Reapers who had fallen in the explosion.

Orihime moved to the one man who was still conscious (though barely), and knelt just on the other side of her healing dome. Resting her free palm over the golden energy, she said gently, "Try to relax. In just a few minutes this pain will go away, I promise."

The man only groaned in response, still clutching at his chest. From her new position, Orihime could see that a steady stream of blood was oozing from beneath his palm. It was a miracle he hadn't lost consciousness.

"And just what do you think you're doing, woman?" an unfamiliar male voice asked from behind Orihime.

Gray eyes widening slightly, Orihime turned, still kneeling, and faced the man who'd spoken. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with dark hair that hung low, covering his left eye and dancing along his shoulders. His jaw was covered in dark whiskers and his one exposed eye was cruel and filled with hate. In his right hand he held a sword, which was most likely a zanpakutou.

Keeping her voice stable, Orihime replied, "I'm healing my men."

"I can see that," the man spat. "What makes you think that's _**okay**_?"

"Their lives aren't yours to end," Orihime replied firmly, not allowing herself to be cowed by this man.

"Sure they are," he said with a faint shrug. "They – like you – attacked _**us**_. We have the right to defend ourselves."

"Innocent people don't surround their homes with landmines," Orihime pointed out. "But if you want to stop the fighting, all you have to do is surrender. All we want to do is get a few answers."

"Lying bitch," the man growled. His hand shifted, and so did his spiritual pressure. "We'll never surrender. But maybe they'll listen to us when we kill one of their Captains." He lifted his sword and opened his mouth again to release his weapon's hidden power.

Orihime had no intention of falling victim to this man. Raising her free hand quickly, and with an internal wince, she called, "Hado number four: byakurai."

The sword had begun to glow, but it was no matter. A thin beam of crackling energy shot out of Orihime's fingertips and collided with his chest. The man went flying backwards, landing on his back and grunting loudly. There was no doubt that her attack had damaged him.

* * *

><p><strong>"<strong>_**Roar,**_** Zabimaru!"** Renji bellowed as he swung his zanpakutou once more. Obediently, the blade extended and collided with half a dozen armed men, knocking them back and causing not a little bit of damage. But he was beyond caring; if their enemy was going to jump on his sword and die, he wasn't going to feel bad about it. He had half a mind to use his bankai, just to see how many would throw themselves in the way of his weapon then.

Just as the idea became too tempting, he forced himself to glance behind him.

Rukia was awake now, and propped against a tree trunk, her zanpakutou resting loosely in her hand. Beside her the Fourth Seat of Squad Four worked quickly to heal her injuries. She wasn't breathing heavily any more, and the bleeding seemed to have stopped, so he supposed it was alright if he started breathing again.

The landmines had caught them all off-guard. Their enemies hadn't seemed to be dancing carefully along the ground beneath them, so no one had considered it a threat so close to their base. But apparently they were all simply well aware of the exact locations of each deadly device, and knew just where to step.

The Soul Reaper who'd triggered the first, at least for them, had been blown to pieces. There was simply nothing they could do for him, especially with Orihime so far away.

But Rukia had been only a dozen feet away, and the explosion had done significant injury to her as well. And when Rukia had cried out, suddenly flying violently through the air, Renji had nearly had a heart attack of his own.

He'd abandoned the man he'd been fighting, flash-stepping behind her to catch her before she could impale herself on the large branch of a nearby tree. She had been bleeding so badly that Renji wasn't actually sure if she was alive at first, and it wasn't until he'd seen her breathing – with effort, yes, but breathing none the less – that he'd been able to think enough to bark an order at the senior officer from Fourth.

In truth, he was amazed she was already conscious. But then again, Rukia had always been every bit as stubborn as he was. _So maybe I should be amazed she's sitting still and allowing him to heal her,_ he mused, trying (and failing) to pick up his own mood with mild humor.

_But she'll be fine,_ he reminded himself. So he returned his attention to the fight, set his glare on a man who was probably older than he himself, and lunged.

Fine or not, she had bled. And so would they.

* * *

><p><strong>The kidou<strong> hadn't kept her opponent back nearly as long as Orihime would have liked. He had come at her again in under a minute, and Orihime had been forced to parry his blade with her own. Sword fighting had never been her specialty, though she was certainly capable with it, for which she was grateful. She wanted to block him with one of her shields, but the more she drew on her zanpakutou, the longer it would take for her to heal her injured. So, for now, her zanpakutou would serve her only as a sword.

If she could get him far enough back she knew she could ensnare him with a bakudo, but he was too strong. She couldn't push him away. In fact, the longer their swords clashed, the more his strength seemed to be increasing. Her footing, which had been solid, was starting to become weaker; she was beginning to slide, slowly, backwards. As it was, she was only a few feet from her Souten Kisshun. She simply didn't have that much room _**to**_ slide back.

"You know," he snarled, "I expected more from a Captain."

"I already told you," Orihime defended, her muscles quivering from the effort to keep them in place, "I don't want to fight."

"Too bad!" the man cried, suddenly putting _**more**_ power behind his sword.

It wasn't the spiritual pressure that had Orihime taking a step backwards – that she could handle – but the physical strength of his push. He was just too much stronger than her. _But I have to hold him,_ she told herself firmly.

"Ha!" he exclaimed, a manic grin curving his lips and lighting his one visible eye as he recognized his impending victory. "I knew it, you're _**weak**_! They should never allow a _**woman**_ to be Captain!"

Orihime grit her teeth, offended at his insult but knowing better than to fall for it. Letting him goad her would be her undoing, which was, of course, why he was trying.

"Now you die!" her enemy declared as, again, he increased the strength he was pouring into his attack.

Her heart tripped as she realized he was going to overpower her. But an instant later the fear was gone, replaced with surprise and relief.

"Over my _**dead body**_!" Ichigo cried as he appeared to the side, swinging Zangetsu violently.

The larger man was forced to pull away in order to block Zangetsu, and he used the momentum of Ichigo's swing to leap backwards. It was clear he recognized the strength in Ichigo's attack.

"I'm so sorry," Orihime said as her arms fell to her sides.

"Don't worry about it," Ichigo replied, placing himself in front of her. "You're busy doing something important. I'll cover you."

She smiled at him, though the gesture was pointless as his back was turned to her. Murmuring another 'thank you,' Orihime turned and knelt once more beside her Souten Kisshun. If she could just focus, she could have them healed in a few more minutes.

* * *

><p><strong>Ikkaku was<strong> having a blast. Endless, at least tolerably good, opponents were streaming toward them, and none of them had tried to run. Whatever was motivating them was enough, at least, to keep them holding their ground and fighting back. Which was all Ikkaku had really wanted out of this mission anyway.

He had led the charge when word had finally come that they were clear to attack. And when the landmines went off Ikkaku had had to laugh. _Nothing like declaring that they _**know**_ they're weaker than us,_ he thought fleetingly as he aimed at a new opponent.

Around him, Yumichika and the rest of his team fought with opponents of their own. Or, rather, the rest of the team that was still conscious.

The two members of Orihime's squad that had been assigned to them were busy trying to keep several of the men alive, but Ikkaku had faith. He had faith that Orihime would have chosen from only her best, most combat-capable officers. And if Orihime believed that they could keep he and his team alive, then so did he.

* * *

><p><strong>Orihime's focus<strong> had returned to the task at hand, and the men beneath her Souten Kisshun were almost entirely healed, when an unexpected sound assaulted her ears.

From behind where she was kneeling Ichigo suddenly cried out in pain.

Eyes widening, Orihime stood and spun, afraid to see his injuries but knowing that she had to know. If he had gotten hurt protecting her she didn't know what she'd do – except that she'd fix him.

But what she saw was not what she'd expected. He wasn't on the ground, there was no steadily growing pool of blood beneath him, and he wasn't clutching any wounds. Instead of any of that, Ichigo was on fire.

There was something glowing, protruding from his stomach. It was shaped like the blade of a sword or dagger. It wasn't glowing with power, it was glowing with _**heat**_, heat that was feeding the flames. And the flames were everywhere, curving around his torso and climbing up his arms, chest, and back, while spreading down his legs and threatening to overtake his face.

As she watched, frozen in unexpected terror, Ichigo ground his teeth and reached up with one burning hand. He wrapped that hand around the glowing blade in his stomach and pulled sharply. When it was no longer impaling him the flames receded, seeming to follow it, and he threw it as far as he could in his now-weakened state.

"Impressive," his opponent declared, lifting his weapon and pointing it toward Ichigo. "You're strong, Soul Reaper, I'll give you that. But you're not strong _**enough**_."

Ichigo managed to glare darkly at his opponent, using Zangetsu to keep himself standing. His voice was raw and angry when he said, "You have no idea…how strong I am, you bastard!"

The man made to reply, but his words were cut off as a bright red fireball slammed into him. He flew backwards from the force of the resulting explosion, his shocked cry of pain echoing after him.

Orihime moved up to Ichigo and lightly rested one hand on top of his, which were still bracing his weight on Zangetsu. When he looked up at her, surprised, she smiled softly and said, "Hold still; I'll patch you up in no time, okay?"

"But-" he began, knowing full well she'd been busy just a minute ago.

She moved her hand to drop two fingers lightly over his protesting lips, cutting him off and causing his eyes to widen, before she said, "They're alright. They'll all live, they just haven't regained consciousness yet, so I can spare a minute to take care of you, I promise." Even as she spoke, she stepped back and a golden dome formed over him.

He was dumbfounded for a long minute even as the pain of his burns began to fade. _All?_ he repeated silently. _How is that possible? Weren't some of them already dead?_

His train of thought derailed when he realized that the man he'd been fighting – who'd identified himself as Iori – was back on his feet. _Damn,_ Ichigo growled silently, _what the hell is he made of?_ "Captain," he said aloud, surprised at how much easier it was to talk already. "Behind you!"

Orihime lifted her gaze to his when he spoke, before frowning and turning to see what Ichigo was warning her about. She sighed when she saw him standing once again, because it meant she'd have to attack him again.

"So that's how it's gonna be, huh?" Iori said, adjusting his grip on his sword. "Well, two can play that game." He held his sword out, then, and with a quick motion he sent the sword spinning in rapid circles.

_Kidou,_ Ichigo realized as the power built and shot forth. He shifted his focus back to Orihime then, hoping she had something ready to counter it, and saw her lips moving. Only the last word reached his ears.

"Danku," Orihime said calmly. The attack slammed harmlessly into a wall of energy.

Unfortunately, Iori had predicted that his attack would fail, and so he'd used it as a decoy. While his attack was crashing into her shield, he flash-stepped wide, coming around from the side.

Orihime spun when she realized what he was doing, and she watched as he attempted to shatter the healing dome with his sword. He slid off harmlessly, as she'd known he would, and then he turned to her angrily.

"You know, healing someone in the middle of a fight is considered cheating," he said darkly.

"You wouldn't say that if I were healing you instead," Orihime replied calmly.

Iori glared at her. "Well, since I can't kill him just yet, I'll have to kill you."

"Captain, let me out!" Ichigo interrupted as their enemy prepared to attack again.

"Yes," Iori said with a smirk. "Let him out, and I won't kill _**you**_."

"You won't be killing anyone," Orihime replied firmly.

Iori shifted his sword, pointing it at her with one hand wrapped around the hilt and his other hovering over the top of the blade.

"Captain!" Ichigo tried again, recognizing the man's stance. His burns were nearly gone now, but if she stayed where she was, she'd have her own to contend with soon enough.

"You should listen to him, _**Captain**_," Iori taunted. A moment later he lowered his free hand and dragged his thumbnail along the dull edge of his sword. The friction caused a spark, and the spark landed on the center of the blade. The blade was instantly glowing, and Iori lifted the sword, turning it sideways as he added, "_**Erupt**_!"

"_**Captain!**_" Ichigo cried, pounding his free fist against the dome containing him. It shocked him slightly, but he didn't care. In a moment, it wouldn't even matter.

"Shiten Koushun," Orihime said calmly. Her sword arm didn't move, though her grip tightened marginally, but the blade flared and once again her golden shield formed in front of her.

The heat-energy blade that had fired off of Iori's zanpakutou, undoubtedly the same attack that had set Ichigo aflame, collided with the golden shield and exploded backward.

Ichigo watched in amazement as Iori's attack was thrown back at him. Iori caught fire and fell backwards for an instant, but even as he crashed, the flames seemed to suck back into his zanpakutou.

"I guess that won't stop him, either," Orihime said quietly, one corner of her lips scrunched thoughtfully. She turned to face Ichigo again and her expression shifted, becoming apologetic. "I'm sorry I worried you. There wasn't enough time to explain."

"That's…okay," Ichigo replied as he slowly returned his gaze to Orihime. "But, I'm feeling better now, you don't have to keep healing me."

An expression that could only be described as a pout settled on her face, and Ichigo had to swallow as his stomach twisted in a very unfamiliar way.

"You're not finished healing yet, Ichigo," Orihime stated.

"I know," Ichigo allowed, deciding it was pointless to argue when the proof of her claim was visible to anyone. "But I'm well enough to fight, and there are other people who aren't."

Orihime hesitated, her eyes flickering to the group of unconscious and not-quite-fully-healed men just a few feet away. He was right, of course. It was just against her nature to let someone leave her care before their healing was complete.

Iori was back on his feet, breathing heavily but still able to fight, and still gripping his sword.

Orihime looked over at him, watching him through her shield. He was becoming a real problem. _It looks like he's immune to the powers of his zanpakutou, which means my Shiten Koushun won't do nearly as much damage as it should._ She pulled her lower lip between her teeth for a long moment, before glancing back to Ichigo and asking, "Are you sure you can handle him?"

"Yeah," Ichigo replied easily. "I underestimated him before, but he won't get me with that trick again."

"Fucking bitch," Iori shouted angrily as he began stalking forward. "I'm going to tear you apart!"

Ichigo shifted his glare to Iori easily, his eyes darkening and his jaw setting. "Let me out, and I'll finish him."

Something in Ichigo's voice convinced Orihime that he knew what he was talking about. There was conviction in his tone, as well as his eyes, and she knew he'd be alright.

"Okay," she said. Silently she called back both her Souten Kisshun and her Shiten Koushun.

A heartbeat later, seeing what she'd done, Iori lunged forward – now wholly intent on killing her before he returned to his previous fight.

But Orihime's attention was pulled from him before he'd even moved, because as her Souten Kisshun began receding, Ichigo's spiritual pressure surged, and a word she hadn't expected to hear fell from his lips.

"_**Bankai!**_" Ichigo called as Iori's feet left the ground. He felt the familiar surge of power within him, and as soon as it had settled, he was in motion.

He blocked Iori's descending sword with his before it could reach Orihime. The smoke didn't clear until their blades clashed, and it was only then that his opponent – as well as Orihime – got a decent look at his bankai. It was not what either had been expecting.

Ichigo swung his arms forward and easily forced Iori back, sending him tumbling twice before he got his feet under him again. But Ichigo wasn't willing to wait, so he pushed from the ground and raced forward, using his bankai's enhanced speed to meet Iori as he got his feet beneath him.

Orihime watched with rapt attention once again as Ichigo fought, though she did remember to return her Souten Kisshun to the five unconscious men. She found herself studying his change in power as he moved, fighting with a ferocity one would typically expect from Squad Eleven (which, she recalled, had been his squad before his promotion).

His bankai was obviously not ordinary, and yet somehow that didn't surprise her. And while the sight, and feeling, of it had reignited her earlier sense of déjà vu, that wasn't what caught her attention.

_His power,_ she thought, eyes widening just slightly, _I don't know how I didn't notice before, but…he's easily as strong as a Captain. In fact, with that power level, he's probably stronger than several of us…he's surely stronger than I am._

And yet, for whatever reason, it wasn't this revelation that reassured her of his victory. It was watching him fight – watching him parry Iori's sword, move easily out of the way of kidou blasts, slice through the blazing zanpakutou, and just _**overpower**_ him – that told her he would win. Ichigo was dominating the fight, and he was making it look easy.

So, after another moment of watching, Orihime returned her full attention to the injured men. She was sure he would win, and she knew he would keep his earlier promise – the way he was fighting now, she knew no one would disturb her. So she silently wished him good luck, and turned her back to the fight, because doing so was a demonstration of her faith in him.

* * *

><p><strong>Shuuhei Hisagi<strong> sighed as his sword clashed with his opponent's released zanpakutou once again. He was going to have to do it.

When he looked around, he could see several of his team had been taken out, and the two members of Squad Four were doing the best they could. Hiryu was holding his own, and a handful of his men were still doing fairly well, but they needed a little more power on their side.

Shuuhei and his opponent pushed apart for a moment, before the other man lunged forward again, swinging his serrated blade in a wide arc.

"_**Reap,**_ Kazeshini," Shuuhei commanded calmly.

The serrated sword crashed into one of Kazeshini's curved blades, and the other man's eyes went wide with surprise.

By the time he'd registered the rattling of the long chain that connected the two weapons, Shuuhei had made his move.

* * *

><p><strong>"Iori's in <strong>trouble," one of the men Toushirou was fighting suddenly declared with a sideways glance to his partner.

The other man, who was slightly older, grunted "Then it's his own fault for a picking a fight he couldn't win."

"You've got your own problems," Toushirou reminded as he pushed back and swung his sword once more.

The two managed, barely, to dodge the surge of ice that followed, and the older one returned fire with a kidou blast.

Toushirou flash-stepped to the side and out of the path of the attack.

Rangiku appeared an instant later at his back, her sword at her side. "It looks like we're winning," she said without taking her eyes from own opponent.

"It may appear that way," Toushirou agreed, "but don't get over-confident. We haven't won until they've all been defeated."

Suddenly another man, in the same age group as the older of the two men Toushirou had been fighting, appeared on the roof of the large building off to the side. He projected his voice over the battlefield, earning the attention of both his own comrades and the Soul Reapers as he called, "Regroup! We'll make our stand together!"

The men they were fighting pulled back immediately, leaping backwards a ways as they gathered together. The man on the roof jumped to the ground when the others were near enough, and then as one the group turned and raced off, in the general direction of Orihime's team.

"What are they doing?" Rangiku wondered, resting her free hand on her hip.

Toushirou scowled. "They're planning something." He turned his gaze to the group around them before saying, "Anyone who's still able, follow us. The rest of you stay here and wait to be healed."

He waited only long enough to see their nods of affirmation before turning and sprinting forward. Rangiku followed closely, and behind her trailed the able-bodied remainder of their team. They ran as quickly as they dared, wary of more traps – though at least it seemed that the landmines had all triggered each other once they'd started exploding.

It was obvious that their enemies were planning something, and they had to be careful. They had no way of knowing what it was, so they could only hope that their remaining forces were enough to handle it.

"Renji's team is on the move, too," Rangiku said suddenly.

"Yes," Toushirou agreed, sensing the same thing that she was. The people Renji's team had been fighting were regrouping, too. And it seemed Ikkaku's and Shuuhei's teams were also on the move. "They're leading us to one spot, probably for one final battle."

"Why would they do that?" Rangiku asked, puzzled. It made no sense to her that they would lead them toward the same space – why would they want to fight so many Captain-level Soul Reapers at once?

"That's a very good question," Toushirou replied. "Pick up the pace!" he added, lifting his voice to be heard by the others.

They didn't want to be late for whatever was about to happen.

_**To Be Continued…**_

_**A/N:**_ Wow, an entire chapter on a fight…to be honest, I didn't think I could do it! So you'll have to let me know how I did! Pretty please? LOL Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you'll stay tuned for the next chapter!


	5. Final Conflict

_**A/N:**_ I give you – chapter five! Because I know how eager you've all been! (I like to believe it, alright? It makes me feel better…LOL) *ahem* Yeah, anyway, apparently when I have nothing to say, I get kinda goofy…so go ahead and ignore me and go read the chapter!

**Disclaimer:** Bleach still does not belong to me. Characters you don't recognize do.

**Second Chance**

**Chapter Five: Final Conflict**

** Iori had** fallen, having been easily overwhelmed once Ichigo released his bankai, and Ichigo held his position at Orihime's back.

From the moment Iori had been defeated his remaining comrades had been acting strangely. They had pulled back from their battles and were gathered together, warily watching their opponents but not actually attacking. It was as if they were waiting for something.

Orihime had since finished healing the five men, all of whom were conscious once again, and so she sheathed her zanpakutou and pushed easily to her feet. She turned around to take in the new situation and, after a moment, stepped up beside Ichigo. "What do you think they're doing?" she asked softly, absently lifting one hand to tuck back a strand of hair that had fallen loose from her bun.

Ichigo kept his eyes on their enemies but his voice was hushed when he replied, "I'm not sure. They all pulled back after I defeated Iori."

"Uh, what should we do, sir?" one of the newly-healed Soul Reapers asked from behind them.

Lifting his voice to be heard by them, Ichigo replied, "Hold your ground for now." Then he lowered his voice once more and said, "If they're waiting for reinforcements – which is what I'm thinking – we might have a problem. The men you just healed can handle more fighting, but the rest of the team's looking pretty tired. The six of us _**could**_ have difficulty holding them back if anyone like Iori joins up with them."

Orihime glanced around, easily seeing the truth of his words.

Her Eighth Seat was busy healing a couple of fairly-injured men, but many of the others were too weak to continue fighting for long. Fatigue had begun to set in, and many were covered in scrapes and bruises – a few were even dripping blood. If they were attacked by a fresh round of foes the fight would not go in their favor.

Still, Ichigo had been wrong on one deduction. "Seven," she corrected quietly as her gaze flickered back to their enemies.

Ichigo cut a sideways glance at her, for a moment not knowing what she meant. When he realized her intent his eyes narrowed and he said firmly, "No. We need you covering our backs, not in the field."

"I appreciate your concern," Orihime said, offering him a small smile, "but it's my decision to make. I'll help _**however**_ I can."

"You can help best by letting us do the fighting," Ichigo replied stubbornly. He knew that – technically – he had no authority over her, but he refused to let her fight.

Before she could respond to his declaration their attention was drawn to the line of brush just behind where their enemies had gathered. Suddenly a large number of men – not Soul Reapers, but others like the ones they'd been fighting – were bursting through the foliage. By numbers alone they would surely be overpowered.

"Fuck," Ichigo mumbled as he did a quick head-count. Even if he relented, and allowed Captain Inoue to fight, there was almost no way they'd win. Unless, of course, none of them were very powerful.

An older man, with a sheathed sword strapped to his back, stepped forward and looked around the battlefield. His gaze quickly landed on Iori, and lingered for a moment, before he looked back out at the Soul Reapers. Hardened eyes finally settling on Orihime he asked, "Which of you defeated Iori?"

Orihime opened her mouth to respond, but she wasn't fast enough.

"I did," Ichigo replied firmly, his grip on Tensa Zangetsu's hilt tightening as he met the gaze of the man who'd spoken.

"Identify yourself, Soul Reaper," the man requested coldly.

"Ichigo Kurosaki," he replied, "Lieutenant of Squad Thirteen."

"Thirteen," the man repeated. "Interesting. I heard the Captain of Squad Thirteen was an old, sickly man, not a beautiful young woman."

"You're partially correct," Orihime said calmly. "I am Orihime Inoue, the Captain of Squad Four."

"Ah," he said, as if her explanation had answered everything. "So you're the reason none of your team have suffered any fatalities, then."

"You know an awful lot about Soul Society," Ichigo cut in pointedly.

The man turned his focus back to him. "As a matter of fact, I do, boy. But that's not what matters here."

Before he could continue Toushirou's team burst through the foliage, behind them, coming to a stop just a dozen paces from their gathered enemies. Toushirou cut a glance toward Orihime and Ichigo, unsurprised to note that Ichigo had released his bankai or that the majority of her team was on its feet.

The man who'd been speaking glanced over his shoulder at the interruption. "Welcome, Captain Hitsugaya. If you'll be patient a moment, we're almost ready to begin."

"Begin what?" Toushirou asked with narrowed eyes as he returned his focus to his enemies.

The man made no attempt to respond as Ikkaku and his team suddenly appeared, roughly between Ichigo and Toushirou's team, with Ikkaku himself in the front.

"Looks like we've caught up with you," Ikkaku said with a smirk as he rested his released zanpakutou over his shoulders.

Renji's team was next, coming to a stop on the other side of Toushirou's team. Only a handful of men had come with Renji, and Rukia was not among them (though she hadn't stayed back without argument).

Before Renji could say anything, however, Shuuhei and his team joined the gathering, flash-stepping in across from Ikkaku and effectively surrounding their enemies.

"Doesn't look like you planned this too well," Ikkaku taunted, grin broadening.

The man who'd spoken before allowed his lips to curve faintly upwards. "Are you so sure about that, Captain?"

"If you're going to make a move," Toushirou began, shifting his hold on his zanpakutou, "then stop stalling. We aren't going to sit around and wait for you to do something."

"No," the man said casually. "You've waited long enough." Reaching up, he pulled his sword from its sheath, and everyone tensed. It didn't take a genius to know that nothing good would come of him releasing his zanpakutou – and, at this rate, it was safe to assume that the sword was a zanpakutou.

After holding the sword in the air for a moment, he smiled and pulled it down, spinning it around and then plunging the blade – up to the hilt – into his own stomach.

Every Soul Reaper's eyes widened at the unexpected move.

The men behind their ringleader suddenly dropped to the ground in an obviously-rehearsed maneuver.

"_**Seek your revenge,**_" the ringleader choked, blood dribbling from his lips. The name of his zanpakutou was lost in the subsequent surge of power that exploded from the blade that was buried in his body.

Unstable spiritual energy began swirling around him, the level of the power increasing rapidly. And then the energy seemed to freeze, hanging in mid-air around him for a long moment before suddenly exploding outward in a violent rush.

As the energy rushed forth, condensing as it moved into a visible attack, Orihime again released her zanpakutou. The attack slammed into her Shiten Koushun less than a foot away from her and Ichigo, who stood more forward than the rest of their team.

Shuuhei and Toushirou managed to conjure a danku, protecting themselves and their teams from the condensed energy blasts, but only barely.

Renji and Ikkaku's teams scattered, mostly re-converging behind the other three teams, with most of Renji's men diving behind Toushirou, and most of Ikkaku's opting to hide behind Orihime's shield. Renji and Ikkaku took to the air and used their own zanpakutous – backed by their spiritual pressure – to protect themselves.

The Captains of Squads Nine and Ten kept their shields in place as Orihime's Shiten Koushun returned the attack back to their enemies.

When the energy had receded, and the dust settled, it was obvious that some of their foes had not survived the backlash. But their ringleader seemed to have emerged unscathed, as he was standing – fully healed – with his zanpakutou in hand. He was frowning, eyes skimming over the body-count of his fallen comrades, before he lifted his eyes to the Soul Reapers.

After a minute his gaze settled once more on Orihime, whose shield was still firmly in place. "I presume that the backlash of my attack was caused by that shield of yours."

"That's right," Orihime replied.

"How very convenient," the man sneered. "But, unfortunately, as that energy originally resided within me, it cannot harm me. However, as you seem to have killed some of my friends, it would seem I have to kill you."

Narrowing her gaze ever-so-slightly, Orihime replied calmly, "Then I hope you have something more impressive than that attack you used a moment ago. Because something like that will never touch me."

The man took a step forward, and the other Captains and Lieutenants tensed in anticipation. "Oh, I have many tricks you haven't seen yet, woman. Perhaps I'll show you another before I remove your head from your shoulders."

"Do you have a name?" Ichigo asked suddenly, his voice low and strangely even, eyes narrowed on the man.

"Of course I do," he replied, switching his gaze to Ichigo. "But you haven't earned it."

Ichigo closed his eyes for a moment and said, "That's too bad. I'm sure we're supposed to at least get the _**name**_ of the idiot leading an opposition against us."

"I beg your pardon?" the man asked curiously, one eyebrow lifting ever-so-slightly.

Brown eyes opening once more, Ichigo said, "The only one about to die…is you." As he finished speaking he vanished entirely from sight for an instant, reappearing in the air on the other side of Orihime's shield and above his enemy.

The man took a half-step backwards, clearly caught off-guard by Ichigo's speed, and began to lift his sword to defend himself.

Ichigo wrapped his left hand around Tensa Zangetsu's hilt once more and brought the black blade down, crying, "_**Getsuga Tenshou!**_" The black getsuga erupted from the blade in an angry burst that seemed to match Ichigo's mood, crashing powerfully into the man, and knocking several of the other surviving men backwards.

"Move, now!" Toushirou commanded, flash-stepping forward as his bakudo-shield vanished and engaging one of the other men. Rangiku and the others gathered behind him quickly jumped into action to obey his order, and the other teams followed suit immediately.

The numbers were reversed, and the Soul Reapers now had the advantage.

Ichigo was once again overwhelming his opponent, though this time the reason why was not long in coming. It seemed that the ringleader's zanpakutou release exploded nearly all of his spiritual pressure outward in a vicious attack, and that initial attack was intended to be enough to at least incapacitate his enemies. He wasn't supposed to have to keep fighting for any duration afterward, and so his counterattacks were nearly non-existent.

As Ichigo pulled back, preparing to deliver the finishing blow, Toushirou interrupted, appearing beside him and saying, "Lieutenant Kurosaki, stay your sword if you will."

Ichigo hesitated, clearly torn between his instinct and his duty to obey, before standing upright and lowering his weapon to his side.

Toushirou turned his attention, then, to the man Ichigo had defeated, and his gaze hardened. "You are to return with us as a prisoner of Soul Society. It would be in your best interest to surrender, and explain why, exactly, you were leading a veritable army in opposition to us."

The man glared as best he could at the silver-haired Captain. "I'll never surrender to a Soul Reaper," he growled.

Toushirou sighed, grumbling something under his breath, before he turned to glance back at Orihime and said, "I can handle this from here. Would you please go and take care of our wounded?"

Renji landed between Toushirou and Orihime and looked to her before saying, "I know there are others who need you, but would you check on Rukia? She got hurt during the explosions."

Concern flooded Orihime's face and her shield vanished. "Oh, of course!" She glanced back, then, to her Eighth Seat and said, "Go to where Captain Hisagi's team was stationed first and see if the others need help."

"Yes, Captain!" he said, bowing before turning and running off.

Orihime spared another glance to the men still being secured before starting forward and flash-stepping away.

* * *

><p><strong>Orihime slowed<strong> her pace when she had neared her destination. The rest of Renji's team was in sight, including Rukia, who was currently resting against a thick tree. Her eyes were closed, and no one was near her. It was clear that once her condition had stabilized the members of Squad Four had turned their focus to others who needed their help.

As Orihime took another step forward she suddenly realized that she was not alone. Eyes widening in surprise, she turned her head and asked, "Ichigo?"

Ichigo, who was half a step behind her, stopped as well and said, "There's no guarantee that it's safe to move without someone to watch your back. Captain Hitsugaya and the others have things pretty well wrapped up back there, so I'm sticking with you."

"Oh," Orihime said automatically, blinking for a moment before she smiled and said, "thank you."

Together they turned, then, and started toward the gathered Soul Reapers. Orihime went straight to Rukia and knelt beside her, quickly analyzing her to determine the extent of her injuries.

Rukia's eyes dragged open a moment later, sensing that she had company, and she smiled weakly at Orihime. "Captain…Inoue, I'm glad to see that…you're alright."

Orihime smiled as her Souten Kisshun formed over the smaller woman. "Of course I'm alright! I hardly got dragged into the fighting at all, and Ichigo protected me. But it's nice of you to worry. Now you just hold still for a minute, and you'll be good as new."

Rukia chuckled weakly, her laughing eyes shifting to Ichigo, who was scowling as he watched the Soul Reapers move around. He was standing a few feet to the side, giving them a semblance of space, but he had undoubtedly heard every word. And Tensa Zangetsu was still held at his side. _The more things change…the more they really do stay the same._

"Ichigo protected you, huh?" Rukia said with a choked laugh. "Well, it's good he was useful."

Without turning his head Ichigo cut his eyes to the side and aimed his scowl at Rukia as he asked, "What the hell's that supposed to mean, midget?"

Rukia smirked, her energy already visibly increasing, and replied, "Just that it's good to see you didn't crack under pressure or anything."

"Tch!" Ichigo began, "That would never happen and you know it!"

"How was I supposed to know? This is the biggest thing that's come up since you've been a Seated Officer," Rukia returned with a taunting smirk.

"I suppose you have a point," Ichigo said with an exaggerated shrug. "Some people have horrible judgment."

Rukia spluttered at the insult, before recovering and falling into light laughter. "Alright, alright, you win this round. I'm glad you're okay, too."

"Don't talk like you were worried," Ichigo replied, looking away again. "Of course I'm fine."

"Right," Rukia said, "Captain Inoue was there to take care of you."

Ichigo said nothing, merely returning to scowling at the sight before them. He hated that Orihime had had to waste energy on healing him. And he especially hated that, in doing so, she had nearly gotten hurt. He had promised to protect her, and then she had been forced to protect him.

Rukia recognized the look on his face, though it was one she hadn't seen in nearly a century – and it wasn't quite as intense as the version she remembered. But she recognized it nonetheless, and despite the meaning behind it, she felt herself smiling faintly. Something had changed, if only slightly, and it gave her a spark of hope she hadn't known she was waiting for.

"All better!" Orihime suddenly declared as her Souten Kisshun retreated.

The sudden declaration earned both Rukia's and Ichigo's attention as they looked over at her for a moment, before Ichigo redirected his gaze to Rukia and Rukia glanced down at herself reflexively. Rukia smiled, then, and looked back to Orihime. "Thank you, Captain Inoue."

"You're very welcome, Rukia," Orihime replied easily as she pushed to her feet.

Rukia followed suit, sheathing her sword as she stood.

Orihime cast her gaze outward again, taking in the status of the other injured Soul Reapers in the area.

At length, she said, "It looks like the others will be alright, so I think I'll check on the other teams and see how they're faring."

As Orihime moved, headed towards the stragglers from Toushirou's team, Ichigo paused long enough to look back at Rukia. "I'm going with her," he said. "Renji's with Captain Hitsugaya and the others if you're looking for him."

"I figured," Rukia replied with a nod.

Ichigo nodded back and turned, starting after Orihime.

Rukia watched them go with a smile.

* * *

><p><strong>After Toushirou<strong> had interrogated and secured the man in charge of their enemies, the others had taken to rounding up any stragglers.

They found a few scattered men hiding out in the surrounding shrubbery who had probably been attempting to plan a rescue, but there weren't nearly enough of them to put up any sort of a fight.

Once they were all properly secured, Toushirou, Shuuhei, and Hiryu went to investigate the building that they had been staying in. Hiryu led the way once they arrived, with the Captains flanking him silently.

They moved efficiently through the large building, searching each room and sifting through randomly discarded papers as they found them. In one of the larger rooms, which had clearly been used as a sort of meeting hall, they found detailed diagrams of the Seireitei. There were numerous maps which, when placed together, connected to form a large map of the entire Seireitei.

There were also up-to-date blueprints of the individual barracks for Squads One, Two, Four, Eleven, and Twelve. Either they had informants in those squads or – more likely – it was a hit-list. They had deemed those five squads more dangerous for whatever reason.

After they had sifted through the entire stack of papers, Toushirou said, "Let's roll these up; I think the Head Captain will be interested to see all of this."

With nods of agreement Hiryu and Shuuhei went to work carefully rolling up the diagrams they had discovered.

Once that was done, and the documents were safely stowed away in a tote that Hiryu had had folded away within his uniform, the trio continued through the building.

They were making their way back through the building, having gone through each room carefully, when Shuuhei asked, "Captain Hitsugaya, do you honestly think we've captured all of them?"

"No," Toushirou replied easily. "And I think that when the remaining members of this group discover that we've apprehended one of their superiors they're going to be angry. We'll be lucky if the maps we found are the only copies they have."

"I was afraid you'd say something like that," Hiryu commented as they approached the entrance.

"I imagine we'd also be lucky if all they did was mount a rescue-attempt on their captured comrades," Shuuhei added darkly.

Toushirou inclined his head marginally, leading the way out of the building as he said, "Yes. Undoubtedly we'll need to increase security measures at the gates, and around Squads One, Two, Four, Eleven, and Twelve at least."

Hiryu smirked faintly. "I'd like to see them try breaking into our barracks. The Captain would probably kill them herself."

"And they'd be stupid to try and ambush Squads Eleven or Twelve," Shuuhei agreed.

"That's true," Toushirou allowed. "And Squad One is fairly well defended already, but security will definitely need to be added for Squad Four, though I'm sure the Head Captain will see to that herself after we give her the information we've gathered."

The men were silent for several moments as they continued to walk, before breaking into a run to more quickly return to the others.

They slowed down once again when they neared where Ikkaku's team had been stationed, coming to a stop altogether when they were only several feet from Ichigo, who was standing again slightly off to the side of where Orihime worked.

Orihime and Ichigo looked over when they arrived, and Toushirou said, "We'll be leaving as soon as you're ready; we've gotten everything we can. Is there anything we can do to help?"

"Oh, no," Orihime replied with a smile. She returned her attention to the Squad Eleven man she was healing as she added, "We shouldn't be much longer. Go ahead and meet up with the others, we'll follow as soon as we're done."

Toushirou inclined his head. "Alright." He offered a silent nod to Ichigo before turning and continuing on the way to the others. Shuuhei and Hiryu followed silently.

When they were well out of ear-shot, Shuuhei mumbled, "If things had gone differently, we wouldn't have to worry about protecting Fourth."

"There's nothing that can be done about it now," Toushirou replied, his tone not unlike Shuuhei's.

Confusion was evident in Hiryu's voice as he asked, "What are you talking about?"

Both Captains slowed as they turned surprised eyes to him. It was Shuuhei who asked, "You don't know?"

Hiryu cocked an eyebrow and replied, "Obviously not. My Captain isn't exactly the chatty type."

The two Captains exchanged a long look while Hiryu watched them, his confusion mounting with every second of continued silence.

Eventually, it was Toushirou who turned his attention back to the Lieutenant and asked an unexpected question. "How well do you remember the Winter War?"

* * *

><p><strong>Little over<strong> an hour after the fighting had stopped, Orihime and Ichigo (who had finally dropped his bankai) returned to the large group of Soul Reapers and captured (largely unconscious) outlaws. Behind them trailed a number of lower-ranked Soul Reapers, all of whom had needed healing.

"Sorry we took so long," Orihime apologized as they approached.

Rukia, who had long-since joined her husband and the others, turned and smiled as she replied, "I think we can forgive you, Captain Inoue."

"Is everyone ready for travel?" Toushirou asked.

"Yes," Orihime said with a nod.

"Good," he continued. "We have a lot to report to the Head Captain, so let's get going. I sent Hiryu ahead to let them know we're bringing prisoners."

Organized shuffling suddenly took over as everyone prepared to transport the men they had taken into custody. Once they were ready the group set off for home. They still had a lot to do before their day was done.

_**To Be Continued…**_

_**A/N:**_ Whew, this chapter was actually a bit difficult…but hopefully it ended up working well! (That's a hint – you should review and let me know how much you loved it! LOL) Anyway, don't worry, we're nowhere _**near**_ done – this was sort of the set-up. So hopefully you'll continue on to chapter six!


	6. Rest for the Weary

_**A/N:**_ Hello there! Chapter six is all ready for you, so hopefully you're ready for it! …Wow, I need to stop…. Anyway, here you go – please enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** Like I've said a few times, I do not own Bleach. But I do own Hiryu (you know you're jealous ^_~) and a few others.

**Second Chance**

**Chapter Six: Rest for the Weary**

** The prisoners** had been picked up by the Stealth Force as soon as the offensive team had returned. Soi Fon was there with her squad to meet them, but only to inform them that Unohana had requested an immediate meeting – she wanted to speak with the Captains and Lieutenants who had been on the front lines while it was still fresh in their minds. So, after the prisoners were escorted away, Soi Fon accompanied them to the Meeting Hall.

The other Captains were gathered, properly lined up and waiting patiently, when they arrived.

Unohana looked up and smiled at them kindly as the doors closed behind them. "Welcome home, everyone. I'm glad to see you look well."

She paused long enough to assure them her words were genuine before continuing with a quick glance to Hiryu, who stood behind where his Captain was usually stationed. "We've already spoken with Hiryu, but he didn't have the opportunity to tell us much. Captain Hitsugaya, what did you and the others discover?"

With a respectful incline of his head, Toushirou answered her honestly.

He told her about their strategy to split into teams and surround the enemy, and about the organized attack. He explained about the landmines, and overall fighting prowess of their opponents. He told the story of the final battle, and how it was – really – Ichigo who had won them the day (and he managed to refrain from adding 'again').

And when he was done explaining all of that, he went on to explain what they had learned after.

A handful of mature citizens of the Rukongai had gotten together a long time ago and begun comparing notes. One of them – the one they had dubbed 'the ringleader' while they'd been fighting him – had been the older brother of one of the squad members Mayuri Kurotsuchi had sacrificed during an invasion many decades previously. He was bitter over his brother's unfortunate fate, and when he'd been talking to the other men, he learned he wasn't the only one who'd lost a loved one to Soul Society.

During their conversations they had come to blame the Soul Reapers – and their twisted law – for all of the pain and loss they had had to endure. And they began to feel that Soul Reapers were corrupt. They felt that equal amounts of bloodshed needed to be dealt in order to right the wrongs against them.

So those with high enough spiritual pressure had gone to the Academy, to study Soul Reaper techniques. While there, they found others who were bitter – or becoming bitter – towards the authority of Soul Society, and recruited them. Those recruits found others – friends, relatives – with similar feelings, and after only a few years their numbers had grown drastically.

Once they finished their Academy courses they returned to the Rukongai, and one of the men offered up his family home as their base of operations. From there they began scheming, paying off low-level Soul Reapers when it was necessary in order to learn something they could not otherwise know. And with that knowledge, they planned.

"We can only assume," Toushirou concluded, "that their goal was to eliminate as many high-ranking Soul Reapers as possible, and in the process to completely destroy our way of life."

He paused as he removed the tote – which was full of rolled-up documents – from his shoulder. Holding it out, he added, "Captain Hisagi, Hiryu, and myself went through the building after the fighting was over, and we found these. Maps of Seireitei, and blueprints for many of the individual squad barracks. All current. They were well prepared."

Unohana eyed the bag for a moment in silence before she said, "Bring that to me, please, Captain Hitsugaya."

Toushirou did as requested, stepping forward quietly until he was standing before her.

She calmly took the bag from him, selecting one piece of parchment at random and setting the bag beside her on the ground before unrolling it part-way. Her face betrayed nothing of her thoughts as she examined it quietly.

When she was done, she rolled it back up and returned it to its place in the bag. Then she turned her gaze outward, noting that Toushirou had returned to his previous place, and asked, "Did you apprehend everyone who was involved in this scheme?"

Toushirou dropped his gaze to the floor in frustration. "I'm not inclined to believe so, Head Captain. None of the men we interrogated would confirm that, and quite frankly I just don't believe that they were _**all**_ home when we attacked."

"I see," Unohana replied calmly. "Please don't berate yourself for this, Captain Hitsugaya. You and the others did a miraculous job this day, and you deserve to be commended for it."

She paused again and swept her gaze out, glancing at the other gathered Captains and Lieutenants before she added, "However, it seems the threat is still active. We must remain on our guard, as we no longer know where to search for these individuals. So we will stay here, where we are at our strongest, and give them an opportunity to make their move. We have dealt them a blow they cannot ignore, so we should not be waiting long."

Focusing her sweeping gaze on Soi Fon, Unohana said, "Please interrogate the prisoners again and see what more – if anything – you can get out of them."

Soi Fon bowed and said, "Yes, Head Captain."

Looking forward once more, Unohana finished, "I, myself, will go over these documents. Once I am done I will have a better grasp of the threat at hand, and you will all be notified with any information you need to know. For now, go rest, and recover your strength – but remember to keep security at cautionary levels."

* * *

><p><strong>The Captains<strong> dispersed, and many of the offensive team headed home in search of a hot bath and good food.

"Ah, Ichigo, Orihime," Juushirou called as he stepped into the hall outside of the large gathering room.

The bright-haired Soul Reapers turned at the familiar voice, and Orihime smiled. "Juushirou! You're looking better already!"

Juushirou smiled as he stepped up to them. "Yes, of course; I have a good doctor, after all."

One eyebrow cocked, Ichigo asked, "Where're Kiyone and Sentarou?"

Juushirou's smile faded as his tone became serious once more. "I left them at the barracks. I thought it might be safer there tonight." He paused, studying his Lieutenant before looking back to Orihime and adding, "I'm glad to see you're both alright. It sounded like a bit of a difficult situation."

"Tch," Ichigo scoffed, crossing his arms in his loose sleeves. "It was nothing we couldn't handle."

With a soft laugh Orihime added, "It's true, your Lieutenant is very impressive. In fact, if you're not careful, you might just lose him if Captain Sasakibe really retires."

Ichigo made a choked sound and looked away, unused to genuine compliments. When she finished he muttered, "I'm not ready for that!"

Juushirou chuckled and clapped a hand on Ichigo's shoulder. "Don't sell yourself short, Ichigo! Orihime's right, you are incredibly accomplished, especially considering how short your time as a Soul Reaper has been. You should be proud of yourself."

"I didn't say I wasn't," Ichigo replied, lifting his gaze to meet his Captain's as he spoke. "I just don't know if I'd be ready to be a Captain. For one thing, you do way too damn much paperwork." Immediately his eyes went wide and he cut a glance to Orihime before mumbling, "Uh, sorry…"

Orihime laughed again and waved her hand at him dismissively. "Psh, don't worry about it, I've heard worse!" She paused, her eyes twinkling suspiciously before she added, "In fact, I think I heard worse from _**you**_ earlier today."

Ichigo paled for an instant, before his cheeks flushed faintly and he looked away, reaching up and scratching the back of his neck as he said, "Sorry about that…I've been trying to curse less, but it's not working so well."

Both Captains laughed at this and Juushirou said, "I highly doubt your language offends anyone, Ichigo. We've all heard worse."

With a smile, Orihime added, "But it was nice of you to apologize."

Before Ichigo could comment a familiar, male voice hollered, "_**Captain!**_ There you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

The trio turned and Orihime smiled in greeting. "You didn't have to come running for me, Hanatarou, I was going to be heading home in a minute. Is something wrong?"

Hanatarou, who had bent at the waist in order to catch his breath, stood properly and gasped, "Oh, no, it's just that…I was…worried about you! Are you alright?"

"Of course," Orihime replied easily. "I barely even brushed the dust off of my kidou skills." She turned, then, back to Ichigo and said, "However, I'm starting to feel rather hungry, so I think I'll get going. Thank you so much for protecting me out there, Ichigo." She added a 'good night' to them both before turning again and starting towards her barracks, Hanatarou at her side.

"Good night," Juushirou and Ichigo called simultaneously.

For a moment, Captain and Lieutenant stood in silence as they watched the young Captain of Squad Four walk away. Then Juushirou turned to Ichigo and asked, "So you protected her?"

Ichigo glanced at him curiously before shrugging and saying, "Yeah, what of it? You heard Captain Hitsugaya – we broke into teams, one Captain and one Lieutenant to each. I was the only one up for the job."

Juushirou did his best to hide his smile, turning and starting forward as he said, "No need to get defensive, Ichigo, I was just curious. Truthfully, I'm glad you did. Orihime is an amazing healer, but she's never been much for fighting."

Ichigo automatically fell in line behind his superior, arms loose at his sides and mind miles away. "Yeah, I gathered that much. Though she does hold her own pretty good when she needs to."

* * *

><p><strong>"You're still<strong> up, Captain?" Isane asked later that evening as she poked her head into Unohana's large office.

The older woman looked up from the unrolled document on her desk at the familiar, gently spoken, inquiry. "Yes, I'm afraid so, Isane," she replied.

The Lieutenant stepped fully into the office and softly shut the door behind her before moving forward. "Are those the papers that Captain Hitsugaya found?"

"Yes," Unohana said with a nod. An uncharacteristic frown settled on her face and she added, "I'm greatly disturbed by the detail within these papers. The maps and blueprints are of the same quality as the ones here, in my office."

Isane's eyes widened. "But how is that possible?"

With an inaudible sigh, Unohana let her eyes close and shook her head. "I don't know, Isane."

Hesitantly, Isane asked, "Are there blueprints…of _**all**_ the squads?"

"No," Unohana replied, her eyes opening once more. "Only five, actually. But I am concerned that that means those five squads are the ones they will attack." She paused before she added, "And, for the most part, the squads in question are already well-defended. I worry, though, because one of the squads is Squad Four. You know as well as I do how poor the security is there."

"That could be a huge problem," Isane agreed, disbelief and concern warring for dominance in her voice and on her face.

"I'll have to call for volunteers," Unohana stated. "None, of course, from the other targeted squads – which eliminates the Stealth Force and Eleventh."

Isane looked down, her eyes glazing over faintly as a million thoughts ran through her head. Quietly, she asked, "Will we be okay when this is over, Captain?"

Unohana blinked, before lifting her gaze and smiling reassuringly at Isane as her Lieutenant looked up once more. "Of course we will, Isane. This is just another obstacle in the road of life, but the road continues on as it always has before."

Isane smiled gratefully at her superior. "I'll get word out for volunteers first thing in the morning, Captain."

"Thank you, Isane," Unohana replied with a faint nod.

* * *

><p><strong>Ichigo's scowl<strong> deepened as he caught sight of the line of Soul Reapers (none of whom he recognized) filing into Fourth. He knew that his Captain hadn't been the only one notified about finding volunteers, but he hadn't expected to see an actual _**line**_ of them. And though he supposed he should be relieved to see that so many others had responded to the call, he found he was frustrated. Frustrated, and highly tempted to use the badge strapped to his arm to skip the line altogether. But he talked himself out of it and set his jaw, determined to be patient, as he walked through the entrance.

Two Soul Reapers with medical bags strapped to their backs were walking towards the entrance, obviously leaving, and going wide to avoid the incoming stream. They started when they saw Ichigo and stepped back, bowing at the waist and chorusing, "Good morning, Lieutenant Kurosaki!"

"Morning," Ichigo grunted as he passed.

Ichigo followed the line impatiently, finding himself judging the spiritual pressure of the men and women ahead of him. There was no way any of them were ranked above Eighth. _And that's being generous,_ he grumbled internally.

"Um, excuse me," a timid voice asked behind him.

One of Ichigo's eyebrows lifted and he slowed his stalking pace enough to properly turn his head as he glanced over his shoulder and asked, "What is it?"

He found himself face-to-forehead with yet another man he didn't recognize.

The unfamiliar man swallowed before asking, "Is this the line for the volunteers?"

"Yeah," Ichigo replied with a heavy frown. He turned his attention forward then and resumed his silent critique. Or, at least, he tried to.

The shorter man seemed to gain confidence after their (brief) successful interaction, and he asked curiously, "If you don't mind my asking, what squad are you from?"

Ichigo had to remind himself not to be overly rude as he ground his teeth together, knowing full well where this was leading, before he said, "Thirteen."

"Oh! I heard Thirteen has a really good Captain. I'm in Squad Three," he commented, adding his own information almost as an after-thought. "How long have you been a Soul Reaper?"

They rounded another corner and the line slowed drastically.

Between the line and the prattling behind him, Ichigo's attempt at patience was about at its end. Still, he took a deep breath and replied, "About thirteen years."

The shorter man laughed good-naturedly and said, "Thirteen seems to be your number!"

Ichigo bit back a sigh, allowing his eyes to close for a moment. _Really? Damn my luck._

His silence didn't seem to discourage the man behind him, as he easily continued, "Still, that's impressive. I've only been a Soul Reaper for seven years myself."

_Wait, _Ichigo thought, for once actually interested in the conversation. As the line moved forward at a crawl he asked, "What rank are you?"

"Oh, um," the man hedged, "well, I'm a Fifteenth Seat right now."

Ichigo felt his left eye twitch. If a bunch of lower-ranked officers were showing up to protect Fourth, he was going to have his work cut out for him. "And you're volunteering to defend an entire squad?"

"Yes, of course," he replied. "I mean, I know I'm not the most impressive fighter or something, but I figured there will be other volunteers, and this could be really good experience." He noticed Ichigo's fists clench at his sides and hesitantly asked, "Um, what…what rank are you?"

"I'm the Lieutenant of Squad Thirteen," Ichigo replied firmly. The two men ahead of him in line stopped and turned to look back, as if seeking to verify that they'd heard correctly, and then they quickly looked away when they met Ichigo's glare.

"L-lieutenant?" the man behind him stuttered. Obviously, he hadn't noticed the badge on Ichigo's arm. "I'm so sorry! Here I've just been rambling on and I'm probably annoying you! Oh, I'm so sorry if I've offended you by thinking I could volunteer for this!"

Ichigo sighed. _Great, now I feel like a jerk._ Uncurling his fists, Ichigo glanced over his shoulder and attempted to offer a reassuring smile. "No, listen, it _**is**_ good experience. And 'volunteer' doesn't mean you have to be highly-ranked, you just have to be willing to fight. I'm sure Captain Inoue will appreciate your help."

There was a stretch of silence, and the Fifteenth Seat of Squad Three allowed a hesitant smile to curve his lips.

But before he could actually reply a loud crash echoed down the corridor. It was immediately followed by someone shouting.

Ichigo's head whipped around, his eyes going wide as he realized it had come from the direction of Orihime's office. "_**Out of my way!**_" he bellowed, shoving the men in front of him to the side as he launched forward. The roof overhead was too low for him to flash-step over the crowd, so he was going to have to be forceful.

The crowd was talking, stopped in place, and most were doing what they could to move out of Ichigo's way as he plowed through remorselessly. He didn't particularly care if he stepped on a few toes or elbowed a couple of stomachs.

And then the crowd gave way to the entrance to the office. The door was shut, but Ichigo wasted no time in sliding it wide open as his other hand lifted for the hilt of his zanpakutou.

"Captain!" he called as he burst into the office, immediately looking around for someone to fight.

Orihime jumped at his sudden entrance and looked up from where she knelt on the floor. Before her was an unconscious Soul Reaper, who didn't actually appear to be injured, and there was a broken chair just to the side.

She relaxed visibly when she realized it was Ichigo and smiled faintly. "Good morning, Ichigo."

Ichigo forced his hand to release Zangetsu as he dragged in a deep breath. "What happened?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry, were you worried?" Orihime asked, her smile becoming apologetic.

Behind where she was kneeling, Hanatarou rushed in from an adjacent room, a damp cloth in his hands. "I've got it, Captain," he said as he knelt beside her.

"Thank you, Hanatarou," Orihime said, briefly turning her smile to her own Lieutenant. As she watched him set the cloth over the unconscious Soul Reaper's forehead, she added, "Could you take care of him for a minute please?"

"Of course, Captain!" Hanatarou assured her.

Orihime pushed to her feet then and turned to properly face Ichigo as she moved aside to give Hanatarou room.

"I'm sorry," she said again. Gesturing to the unconscious man, she added, "He sat down sort of heavily in the chair, but he didn't aim right or something, and one of the chair legs snapped and sent him flying forward. I had moved the chairs further back from the desk earlier, so he went flying face-first into the ground, and when he fell his legs kicked the chair back and it crashed really loudly."

Ichigo released a breath and shook his head. "It's okay…. I mean, it's not okay that that guy hurt himself, but…it's good that you're alright."

She just stared at him for a heartbeat before a smile curved her lips and she said, "Thank you." She paused, her gaze flickering to the still-open door and the disheveled crowd behind him, and asked, "Did you push your way through all those people just to save me?"

"Uh," Ichigo began without thinking. His face quickly heated as he realized that that was _**exactly**_ what he'd done. It had seemed totally understandable and excusable at the time. Reaching up with one hand to scratch at his neck he said, "Yeah…I guess you could put it that way."

Orihime's smile brightened for a moment before she glanced back at the line and asked, "What brings you by, anyway? Does Juushirou need something?"

Arm lowering again to his side, Ichigo opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by the groaning of the now-not-unconscious Soul Reaper.

With an apologetic smile, Orihime mumbled "Hold that thought!" and turned to help Hanatarou.

Ichigo watched quietly as she dealt with the other Soul Reaper, and after he was up and walking in a straight line, Hanatarou escorted him out of the office.

Orihime turned back to Ichigo then and, with a sheepish smile, asked, "You were saying…?"

"Ah, yeah," Ichigo began. Now that he was here, he found himself suddenly wondering how he was supposed to explain _**why**_. "I, uh…I mean, we heard you needed volunteers and I thought I'd lend a hand."

For a moment, Orihime said nothing, staring at him with widened eyes. In hindsight, she supposed she shouldn't have been surprised that that was why he was there, but she was.

Then her wits returned to her and she smiled again. "Well, I suppose I'd have to be pretty silly to turn down such a generous offer. If you're sure you want to help defend my squad, we'd be happy to have you, Lieutenant Kurosaki."

"Thanks," Ichigo began, stubbornly fighting back the embarrassment that wanted to flood through him as he added, "but that's not _**exactly**_ what I meant. Of course I'll help however I can, but the way I figure, if someone's gonna target a squad, their main objective has to be to get at the Captain. Plus I figure if something happens you'll probably want to be there to help however you can, so someone needs to be around to watch your back."

_He has to stop doing that,_ Orihime decided as, once again, she found herself surprised by his shouldn't-be-surprising declaration. Something inside her was shifting, twisting strangely and slowly – just a little more every time they interacted. She was trying to tell herself it was respect, admiration, appreciation – or all of the above – but she knew better. She knew what those things felt like, and this wasn't the same.

"I'll feel awfully selfish having my own personal bodyguard," Orihime replied with another growing smile.

He shrugged. "You're the Captain, you're entitled. Besides, I'll help in other ways if I can; you just need to understand that _**you're**_ going to be my priority."

Somehow, she doubted arguing that she wasn't _**that**_ important, or that she could defend herself, was going to work. So, instead, she nodded and said "Alright, then. But what about your duties as Lieutenant?"

Ichigo grinned and said, "Not a problem. They went years without a Lieutenant, so Kiyone and Sentarou know how to handle the extra work-load."

Orihime returned his grin with a small one of her own and asked, "Well, in that case, I guess you're just going to have to sit here with me and greet all the other volunteers. Are you up for that?"

"Sounds boring," Ichigo replied easily. "But I imagine it won't kill me."

Orihime laughed softly and turned toward her desk before pausing again, scrunching her lips thoughtfully. "Hmm. We need more space for this, don't we?"

Ichigo glanced over his shoulder at the line of fidgety Soul Reapers and tried not to grimace. Her office would be overrun, and god-forbid anyone needed to get through in a hurry – like he had earlier. "Yeah," he said. "That'd probably be good."

* * *

><p><strong>"So," <strong>Orihime asked several hours later as she and Ichigo walked the perimeter of Squad Four's barracks, "what do you think?"

They had spent nearly three hours interviewing the volunteers, Ichigo interjecting his own questions as they struck him, and Orihime assigning different areas and tasks to each. She turned no one away, no matter how unqualified they technically were for the task that they were supposedly volunteering for. And Ichigo was inwardly disturbed by how many low-level Soul Reapers had turned out, seeking 'experience.' Only a handful of them (including the one he'd talked to earlier) actually seemed to have potential.

Now they were walking around, partly to give Ichigo a feel for the area, and partly to check on the new security.

Many of Orihime's Seated officers had already come up to Ichigo to thank him for his help, and each time they did, Orihime had to stifle a laugh. He was strangely uncomfortable with receiving compliments.

Ichigo frowned thoughtfully as he considered Orihime's question. "It's a definite improvement," he said after a minute. "It's good that you posted the more qualified Soul Reapers along the perimeter."

"Do we still seem defenseless?" Orihime asked with a knowing smile. She, of course, had never considered them defenseless. And, in her opinion, _**if**_ they had needed a little extra muscle, Ichigo would've been more than enough all on his own.

He, of course, hadn't seen it that way.

With a faint chuckle and a shake of his head, Ichigo replied, "No, definitely not."

"Good!" Orihime chirped. "Now come on, we need to finish your _**inside**_ tour!" As she spoke she reached out and grabbed his hand, starting forward at a brisk pace.

Ichigo allowed her to half-drag him, her hand holding his, as he fought to swallow properly, simultaneously battling against the heat rising steadily to his cheeks. He wasn't sure what it was about her, but she threw him completely off-balance.

He could only hope he'd figure it out soon.

_**To Be Continued…**_

_**A/N:**_ Heehee, don't worry Ichigo, you will! Hmm? Oh! Right! So, that was chapter six! Hope you enjoyed it, and don't worry, the action's not over yet! I'm just taking a minute or two to build suspense…and tension ^_~ So let me know what you thought! And stay tuned for the next installment!


	7. Growing Friendship

_**A/N:**_ Welcome back! Because I know you must've missed me so much, I won't make you trudge through some rambling A/N before getting to the good stuff! So: onward, readers!

**Disclaimer:** Nope, I do not own Bleach, believe it or not. But sporadically occurring OCs? Totally mine.

**Second Chance**

**Chapter Seven: Growing Friendship**

** Ichigo stared** at the ceiling as he waited for sleep to claim him. It had been a long day and he was surprised he wasn't more tired. After they'd checked the perimeter, Orihime – _Captain Inoue_ – had taken him around and introduced him to many of her top officers. And, in true fashion, he'd already forgotten most of their names.

But the long day _**had**_ revealed to Ichigo the real reason he had volunteered so quickly.

Another image of Orihime floated across his mind's eye and he groaned faintly, squeezing his eyes shut as if to push the thought away. But it was no use. There was no denying the simple fact that he was attracted to her.

Of course, he wasn't alone. The undeniable beauty of the young Captain was already fairly legendary throughout the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. Ichigo had even caught several of the new volunteers staring after her as they'd walked past (and each time he'd given them a glare of warning which usually had them turning completely around in a hurry).

The problem was that he was sure being around her, in such close proximity, on a daily basis for the foreseeable future was only going to make him _**more**_ attracted to her.

On that level, he knew he should be thinking up an excuse (one that wouldn't offend her) to back out of his offer. But before he could even start thinking of who might step in to protect her in his place he would banish the thought. He _**wanted**_ to protect her, and he had given his word that he would. At the end of the day, nothing else mattered.

_Dammit,_ Ichigo grumbled silently as he rolled onto his side in an attempt to get more comfortable.

In an effort to distract himself from his thoughts, Ichigo opened his eyes and again looked around the room. He wasn't staying in his room back in Squad Thirteen's barracks, so it had none of his personal decorations.

Instead, he was staying in one of the more comfortable rooms reserved for anyone who wanted to stay close to a loved while the loved one was being held overnight for medical reasons. None of the other rooms were currently in use, and so Orihime had insisted that he take one of the nicer ones, as it had three private rooms: a bedroom, a bathroom, and a kitchen/sitting room.

It had been his idea to stay overnight, and though Orihime had tried talking him out of it, she had relented easily enough. After all, if he were really supposed to be protecting her, he wouldn't be able to do a very good job from all the way over in Squad Thirteen.

"_Well," she had hedged, clearly mulling over his argument before finally releasing a soft sigh and admitting, "I can't really argue with that." _

_She'd scrunched up her face, then, in a gesture that reminded him that – especially for a Captain – she was actually fairly young, and added, "You're good." She followed the statement with a laugh that had him smiling, just a little, before he'd even realized it._

It wasn't working, he decided. All he was doing was laying there, staring at the wall now, and thinking about her. He had yet to relax enough for sleep, and his mind refused to follow any _**other**_ train of thought. _There's gotta be _**something**_ else I can think about,_ he reasoned internally.

For a moment he could have sworn he heard laughter, coming from somewhere in the back of his own mind and echoing through him like an old memory. But when he focused on it, it was gone.

_Great, now I'm making fun of myself._ He really needed to sleep, especially if he intended to meet Orihime at her door first thing in the morning.

* * *

><p><strong>Orihime sighed<strong> softly as the final colors of the morning's sunrise faded away. She loved watching the sunrise, and this morning's had especially beautiful. _It must mean that today will be a good day,_ she decided with a light nod and a smile. With a parting glance at the sky she turned, then, and slipped back into her home. Now that the sunrise was over, and the day had officially begun, she had to get herself ready.

_I wonder if Ichigo will meet me here, or at the office?_ she wondered silently as she gathered her clothes for the day and headed for the bathroom. In retrospect she supposed she should have arranged all of that with him before they'd parted for the night. _But it's not like I'm used to having a bodyguard!_ Of course, if you asked her, she still wasn't used to being a Captain, either, and that was certainly no excuse.

Humming a faint, nameless tune, Orihime prepared for her day.

She scrubbed herself clean in her large claw-foot tub, lathering and rinsing her long hair, before pulling on her fresh shihakushou. Then she positioned herself before her vanity mirror and pinned her hair properly, in the same deliberately-messy bun she always wore. Once that was over she stepped from the room and moved to her kitchen.

She made herself a simple breakfast, perching on the countertop as she ate. After her dishes had been properly washed and returned to their stations she moved to her sitting room and pulled her Captain's Haori from the back of the couch – where she had draped it on her way to the bathroom. In moments she was finished getting dressed and, remembering Ichigo's request, she even slipped Shun Rikka through the usually-empty loop at her hip.

Now that she was feeling refreshed and ready for the day, Orihime stepped up to her door and slid it open. She was half-way into the hall before she registered the sight of Ichigo leaning against the wall beside her casually.

Her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed in embarrassment (she really _**should**_ have sensed him) and she exclaimed, "Ichigo! How long have you been waiting for me?"

Ichigo shrugged and pushed from the wall as she collected herself enough to finish securing her door. "Not too long," he replied easily. He'd been there over an hour already, but he was sure she'd feel bad if she knew, so he decided not to be too specific.

Orihime pouted for a moment as she reflected on his answer.

Ichigo tried not to stare, looking away from her lips after a moment and mentally berating himself. His lack of sleep was already obviously affecting him.

"Well, that's good at least," she said finally, her pout vanishing in favor of a smile before she added, "Good morning!"

He blinked at her for a second before his own lips curved up at the corners and he said, "Good morning."

"Are you ready for the most boring protection-detail ever?" she asked with a laugh as she began walking down the hall.

Ichigo fell into step beside her, saying, "Absolutely. And thank you for remembering your zanpakutou."

Patting the hilt of her sword reflexively Orihime replied, "I try not to be too unreasonable."

"I never said you were," Ichigo assured her easily as they rounded another corner.

Orihime's next response died in her throat as they caught sight of two of her lower ranking officers in a conversation with two men from Squad Eleven. The men from Eleventh had been staying overnight for observation, as they had let a 'friendly sparring match' get out of hand and ended up beating each other up. And now, it seemed, they had deemed themselves well enough to leave.

"Please," the female – who shared a Seat with her companion, but was slightly older – pleaded cautiously. "You haven't been cleared yet, you need more rest."

"We don't need more rest!" one of the men exclaimed loudly, causing the two smaller Soul Reapers to flinch. "We're Seated officers of Squad Eleven, we don't even know _**how**_ to rest! These little scratches ain't nothin'!"

"Um, there's no need to yell," the other member of Squad Four pointed out quietly.

From several paces back, Orihime frowned ever-so-slightly. "Here we go again," she mumbled, more to herself than to the man standing beside her. Taking a deep breath she squared her shoulders and started forward briskly.

Ichigo watched her, not actually moving with her. He was curious to see what had garnered such an unexpected reaction from the gentle, friendly woman.

"Is there a problem?" Orihime asked politely as she stepped up to the group.

Both of her subordinates immediately stepped to the side, bowing formally and chorusing, "Oh, good morning, Captain Inoue!"

"There's no problem," the loud man declared firmly. "We were just on our way out is all."

Orihime, who had shifted her gaze to smile at her subordinates, looked back at him and raised an eyebrow curiously. "You've been released?" Her skepticism was obvious, and she cast a pointed look at the bandages still covering the majority of his torso.

His companion stuck out his chest and said, "We released ourselves!"

With a knowing smile Orihime said, "I understand that you want to get home soon, but if you haven't been released there's probably a reason for it. Would you mind please returning to your beds?"

The first man set his jaw stubbornly and insisted, "Listen, Captain, we know what we're doing! These little scrapes won't even slow us down!"

Ichigo took a deep breath as he listened, telling himself to let her handle it. But, whether or not they meant to, they were being incredibly disrespectful and Ichigo could feel the ends of his temper burning.

"If I remember right," Orihime began sweetly, "they were a bit more than 'little scrapes.' Please go back and lie down, I'm sure you'll be good enough to go home later this afternoon."

"Nope, sorry," the man stated, already half-turned to continue down the hall. "We're gonna go now."

Ichigo's eyes narrowed and before he even realized it he had stomped up to them and begun talking. "The only place you're going is _**back to bed**_, even if I have to put you there myself!"

Both men froze and turned their gazes back as they recognized Ichigo's voice. The second man stuttered, "L-Lieutenant Kurosaki! What are you doing here?"

"That really doesn't matter," Ichigo said pointedly. Extending his arm toward the open door (where they had obviously come from), he added, "Get your asses back in there or _**I'll do it for you**_, am I clear?"

Both men snapped to attention and said, "Yes, sir!" before turning and stumbling back through the door.

When they were mostly inside, Ichigo added, "Oi, and Matsuda?" The man in question – the first one who'd spoken – froze and turned his head toward Ichigo silently. With a threatening glare, Ichigo added, "Apologize."

Matsuda swallowed, turned properly to face Orihime, and bowed at the waist. Eyes on the floor he exclaimed, "I'm very sorry, Captain Inoue! It won't happen again!" Then he stood, spun, and darted the rest of the way inside before Ichigo could yell at him again.

The door slid shut solidly and Ichigo released a breath. He was almost frightened by how much the situation had angered him.

"Thank you for your help, Lieutenant Kurosaki!" the two members of Squad Four chorused, bowing again, before turning and jogging down the hall.

Orihime turned a faint smile to him. "Yes, thank you. But you really didn't have to do that, it's my job to keep the patients in line technically."

Thinking quickly, Ichigo shrugged and said, "It's not a big deal. I was their superior long enough to figure out what a pain-in-the-ass those two could be." Realizing what he'd just said he hurriedly added, "Uh, sorry, I mean-"

Her laughter cut him short and he closed his mouth to prevent any resemblances to a gaping fish as he watched her cover her mouth with one slim hand.

After a moment she lowered her hand, smiled, and said, "It's alright. It doesn't bother me, I promise, so there's no need to try and change your behavior for my account."

A faint lopsided grin eased onto his face and he said, "That's good, 'cause no matter how hard I try, I've never really succeeded."

Her smile brightened, lighting her gray eyes, and after a minute she said softly, "Really, though, I do appreciate your help. I'm not very good at being forceful…."

Grin transforming into a familiar smirk, Ichigo replied, "Don't worry, as long as I'm hanging around, you won't have to be. I've been told I can be intimidating when I want to be."

Orihime laughed again, though she attempted to smother it and it ended up coming out as a choked giggle before she said, "I'd believe it! Now come on, there're still things I need to get done this morning!"

* * *

><p><strong>Rangiku Matsumoto<strong> burst into Orihime's office shortly after lunch that day, talking before she'd even stepped through the door. "Orihime! Look what I ha-!" She cut herself off when she recognized Ichigo leaning against the wall beside Orihime's desk, Zangetsu resting beside him. "Oh, I didn't know you had company!"

Orihime looked up from the papers she'd been going through and smiled at her friend. "Hi, Rangiku! Oh, you hadn't heard?"

"Heard what?" Rangiku asked curiously as she stepped properly into the office, recovering from the unexpected appearance of the orange-haired Soul Reaper. Back when he'd been with Squad Eleven she'd never had to worry about running into them in the same room – at least not when she went visiting.

Ichigo rolled his eyes at the strange look Rangiku had given him. Sometimes people made no sense – although he frequently found Rangiku was the queen of that category.

"Ichigo's my new bodyguard," Orihime explained, a faint blush staining her cheeks as she said it.

"New bodyguard?" Rangiku repeated, now feeling thoroughly confused. And then she realized what her friend meant, and she couldn't help but smile mischievously. "Oh, I get it!" Turning her attention to the scowling man across from her, she added, "That's very sweet of you, Ichigo."

"Tch," Ichigo grunted, turning his gaze to the window and hoping she didn't notice the strange tint to his cheeks. If she did, he was doomed.

Finally noticing the item in Rangiku's hand, Orihime asked, "What brings you by, Rangiku?"

"Oh!" Rangiku exclaimed, returning her attention to her innocent friend. Then she held out the magazine in her hand and added, "The Soul Reaper Women's Association's Guide to Summer Fun! It came out this morning, so I picked you up a copy!"

Ichigo tried not to cringe as he thought about what could possibly be concealed within the pages of the unassuming magazine. If Rangiku was excited about it, then it was probably something he didn't want to know about.

Orihime, for her part, was suddenly excited as she stood and rounded her desk quickly in order to take the proffered magazine. Her eyes skimmed the cover and she said, "Ooo, look, they have a whole section devoted to new, summer-approved recipes!"

"I know, I saw that, too!" Rangiku assured her eagerly. "You wanna get together sometime and try a few?"

"That would be fun!" Orihime declared, looking up from the magazine in order to smile happily at the older woman.

"Great! Let's save it for one of the nights Toushirou's working late or something, that'll give me something to do!" Rangiku suggested, one fist clenched in anticipation.

"Sure!" Orihime agreed easily. "I'll go through and bookmark a few that look interesting before-hand!"

Rangiku squealed like a child and pulled Orihime into a tight hug. "Oh, I can't wait! Hopefully we can do this soon!"

Orihime returned the hug, at least until she felt her breathing become difficult, and then she gasped, "R-Rangiku…"

"Oh! Sorry!" Rangiku cried, pulling away immediately and laughing. "Well, I'd better be off or I'll get yelled at!" Turning a wink toward Ichigo, she added, "You two have fun!"

She was out the door before Ichigo had decided on the best insult to hurl back at her.

Orihime turned a sheepish smile to him, self-consciously holding the magazine against her chest as she said, "I'm sorry. The summer issue is always one of my favorites, and sometimes I get a little over-excited about things. I hope we didn't make you too uncomfortable."

"Nah," Ichigo assured her. "It takes a lot more than that to make me uncomfortable." _Usually,_ he added silently. He had, in truth, gotten a little uncomfortable. But it had nothing to do with Rangiku or their cooking schemes – although that certainly _**should**_ have made him uncomfortable.

Orihime's smile brightened and she turned back to her desk, setting the magazine to the side and re-claiming her seat.

And, for whatever reason, something clicked in Ichigo's head as he watched her sit.

Rangiku had called her 'Orihime.' _Well, obviously they're friends,_ he reasoned silently. But then he remembered that, a short while before, Rukia had slipped and almost called her 'Orihime,' too, and he knew for a fact that they weren't _**that**_ close. Or, rather, they were probably friends, but Rukia was too formal for her own good.

Strangely, he found he was jealous.

He was formal with most of the Captains – even his own – but usually, with them, he referred to them as 'Captain' even in his mind. Never, he realized, had he referred to Orihime as 'Captain Inoue' when he thought about her. And now he found himself wanting to add her to the short list of Captains he was on a first-name basis with. _This is ridiculous,_ he told himself. _Why the hell would she let me – or even _**want**_ me to – call her by her first name?_

"Ichigo?" Orihime asked gently, interrupting his silent argument.

He blinked, focusing, and found her watching him with the faintest of frowns curving her lips. Unlike the pout she'd offered him earlier (which, though he'd never admit it, he'd thought was cute), this expression was entirely wrong for her. His own frown deepening, he asked, "What's wrong?"

Her frown vanished, replaced by a small smile, and she said, "I was going to ask you that."

Now thoroughly confused, Ichigo lifted an eyebrow and asked, "…why?"

"You seemed upset," she replied calmly, her eyes studying him. "You were glaring out the window like it had offended you, and since I was pretty sure it hadn't, I thought I'd ask what was bothering you."

"Oh," he replied brilliantly. _Well, now how do I get myself out of this?_ The truth, he decided, was his only option. Not because it was such a hugely important issue, but because he severely disliked the idea of lying to her. "Sorry," he said first, buying himself time to sort out the rest of his words.

"Don't apologize," she said, "just tell me what's going on in your head. Maybe I can help."

Ichigo held her gaze for a long minute before he finally looked away and mumbled, "It's kind of stupid, really…but, uh, I guess I hadn't realized you and Rangiku were so close."

It was Orihime's turn to be confused as she replayed his words in her mind. Her head tilting subconsciously, Orihime asked slowly, "Does…it bother you?"

"What?" Ichigo asked, snapping his gaze back to hers at her question. When he realized why she would ask that, he mentally kicked himself as he added, "No, no, it doesn't. Ah, what I meant was…." _Fuck._ Swallowing self-consciously, Ichigo forced himself to ask, "Can I, uh, would it be alright if I called you 'Orihime'?"

There was a long stretch of silence, and Ichigo wanted to smack himself. He shouldn't have asked. Or, at least, he shouldn't have asked it the way he had. _Now she'll feel obligated to say 'yes' even if she doesn't want to!_

And then the room was filled with Orihime's soft, poorly-muffled laughter.

"I'm sorry!" she gasped as she attempted to control herself. After another few seconds she took a deep breath and asked, "Is that what was bothering you? Of course you can call me Orihime! Honestly, I prefer it, but you know we're not supposed to be so informal with everyone, so I have to let people call me 'Captain Inoue' unless I have a reason to let them not."

"You…prefer it?" Ichigo asked slowly. _Stupid. Of all the things I could've said there, _**that's**_ what I choose?_

Orihime smiled and nodded. "Yes. I've always been uncomfortable with having a title, which is probably strange, and then suddenly one day I was Captain and then _**no one**_ forgot my title. It took me forever to convince most of my friends to just call me 'Orihime' when we were visiting."

"I can sort of understand that, actually," Ichigo admitted, his earlier awkwardness finally fading. With a faint grin he added, "Though I've decided I prefer 'Lieutenant' over the other two titles I've held, just 'cause at least it's only one word."

Another faint giggle surrounded him and Orihime nodded. "I hadn't thought of it that way! But that definitely makes sense…still, no title is always better!"

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed.

"Then it's settled," Orihime decided with a nod and a smile. "From now on, unless we're in some silly formal situation where it's more appropriate, you'll call me Orihime. It's only fair, anyway, since I've already been calling you 'Ichigo'…I'm sorry, I should have asked about that."

Ichigo shook his head. "Nah, it's fine. I can probably count on one hand the number of Captain-class Soul Reapers who actually address me formally on a regular basis."

For a long minute neither spoke, both simply smiling faintly at the other.

A flush slowly rose to Orihime's cheeks and she finally said, "I should really finish this paperwork…." After another second she dragged in a breath and turned her attention forward once more, tearing her gaze from his.

Ichigo sucked in a deep breath as well when she looked away, and directed his gaze back out the window.

_This is getting ridiculous._

* * *

><p><strong>"Ah!" <strong>Orihime exclaimed as she stretched after she'd finished with her latest round of paperwork. She pushed back from her desk as she stretched her arm muscles and then, remembering that she wasn't alone, she turned a self-conscious smile to Ichigo, who was watching her with one slightly-raised eyebrow. "Heh, it feels like I've been doing paperwork all day, and I always get a little stiff if I sit at the desk too long!"

Ichigo's curiosity was replaced with understanding and he inclined his head. "That's understandable. You _**have**_ spent a lot of the day at your desk."

"Oh! I'm sorry, you were probably bored silly just watching me sign papers all this time," Orihime apologized, pulling her lower lip between her teeth briefly.

Ichigo shook his head. "I know paperwork is a big part of a Captain's job, so it stands to reason you'd have your fair share. Are you done for the day?"

Orihime smiled now and pushed to her feet. "Yes! Hmm, are you hungry? I'm starved, but I don't feel like cooking…or, I should say, I don't really feel like eating what I have…."

Now Ichigo was grinning, completely understanding what she was saying. "Yeah," he admitted. "I could eat." Despite her declaration, he wasn't expecting her next statement.

"Let's go out somewhere," Orihime decided. "Where do you feel like going?"

Caught off-guard, Ichigo replied, "Uh, I'm not too picky. Wherever you feel like, I'll follow."

Orihime scrunched her face in thought for a moment, before her eyes lit up and she said, "Alright! I know where we're going!"

Ichigo pushed off the wall, re-securing Zangetsu at his back before he followed Orihime out of the office. He had no idea, of course, where she had decided that they were going to go, but that didn't bother him. So he trailed just slightly behind her, content to (quiet literally) follow her to the restaurant.

Orihime, however, paused after they'd rounded the first corner and glanced back at him, asking, "You know you don't have to walk behind me, right?"

Ichigo hesitated before finally saying, "I guess it's just sort of a force of habit."

She smiled and waved her hand in a forward motion. "Well, I consider us friends now, so come walk with me."

He couldn't help but return her smile as he stepped up beside her.

_**To Be Continued…**_

_**A/N:**_ Ah, finally, a light fluffish chapter! It's so strange to be writing them and having to start at the beginning…but that's my own fault, now, isn't it? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please don't forget to review before you go click that 'next' button!


	8. Calm Before the Storm

_**A/N:**_ Hello all! I do hope your continued return means that you're enjoying this story! And, obviously, I hope you enjoy this chapter, too!

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to: someone else. Occasional OCs belong to: me. Got it?

**Second Chance**

**Chapter Eight: Calm Before the Storm**

** Over a **week had passed since Ichigo had begun shadowing Orihime, and everything had been peaceful. With not even one hint of a threat several of the volunteers had stopped showing up in the morning, and most of Squad Four had stopped looking over their shoulders whenever they traveled. Even Orihime seemed convinced that everyone had overreacted.

Ichigo, however, was less than convinced. Every day that passed without incident made him that much more alert.

He wanted to blame the tension in his muscles on the situation, too, but that would be mostly a lie. The tension was pure Orihime.

Still, if he had a choice, he would blame that tension for why he actually pulled Zangetsu from his back the moment an explosion echoed from down the hall. He felt Orihime move behind him, standing and reaching for her own zanpakutou no doubt, so he said, "Stay behind me."

Together they ran down the hall, Orihime directly behind him, towards the shouting that had begun a moment after the explosion.

"-out of my way!" a gruff, male voice demanded as they rounded the far corner.

Hanatarou held his hands in a pacifying gesture as he took a step backwards, away from the angry patient. "Now, please, there's no need to attack anyone, we're just trying to dress your wounds!"

The man Hanatarou was talking to had his back to the corner Ichigo and Orihime had just come around, so he had no idea that anyone was behind him. Not that he cared as he waved his axe-styled zanpakutou in the air to emphasize his point. "I _**don't need**_ help! Get out of my way already, or I won't miss next time!"

Hanatarou paled and swallowed as his eyes flickered to the large weapon that was currently being pointed at him. It certainly _**looked**_ dangerous.

Ichigo growled under his breath, sheathing Zangetsu and returning him to his back before flash-stepping toward the confrontation.

Orihime watched silently, telling herself she should intervene before Ichigo vented his frustrations on her patient, but not feeling particularly inclined to listen to her own advice.

The aggravated man swung his axe forward when Hanatarou didn't move, and Hanatarou's eyes went wide as he watched it descend.

The handle of the axe slammed into Ichigo's raised forearm as he appeared between them with his back to Hanatarou. The blade hung in the air over Ichigo's face, mere inches from his forehead. Ichigo leveled a dangerous glare at the man – Ninth Seat of Squad Eleven – without so much as flinching from the impact.

After a long moment of stretched, tense silence, Ichigo finally said, "What the hell makes you think it's alright to release your zanpakutou _**here**_ of all places?"

The Ninth Seat swallowed and quickly pulled his weapon back. "I was just trying to leave! That little punk wouldn't let me pass, I couldn't stand for that!"

"Is that so?" Ichigo asked, his arm lowering to his side and his glare never wavering. "And what if _**I**_ refuse to let you pass?"

"L-lieutenant?"

"You're bleeding all over their floor, dumbass," Ichigo pointed out darkly, with barely a glance at the blood that was, indeed, dripping onto the formerly-clean floor. When he was again holding the other man's gaze, he asked, "You don't want me to make the mess worse, do you?"

There was no denying the promise of his words, and again the Ninth Seat swallowed before taking a single step backwards and sheathing his weapon. "No, sir," he replied, head bowed.

Hanatarou stepped around Ichigo, confident now that he wouldn't be maimed, and held an open hand out toward the door beside them. "If you'll come with me, I can patch you up and get you on your way."

The Ninth Seat followed quietly, well aware of the deadly gaze that watched his every move.

* * *

><p><strong>They were<strong> back in Orihime's office before she finally broke the silence, turning to look at him as she said, "You know, for a minute there, I thought you were really going to hurt him."

Ichigo looked away, knowing she wouldn't like his response. "So did I."

To his surprise, Orihime offered him a small smile and stepped forward, dropping one hand lightly over the loosely-clenched fist at his side. "Ichigo, I really appreciate everything you're doing for me, but if it's getting to you, I would completely understand if you wanted to go home."

Eyes narrowed stubbornly Ichigo locked his gaze with hers and replied, "I'm not going anywhere until I'm absolutely sure you're safe, Orihime. I promise I'll try to curb my temper, but you're not getting rid of me until this is over."

For a moment Orihime remained silent, studying his eyes. Then she smiled and gave his hand a squeeze before pulling back as she said, "I'm not trying to get rid of you, silly! I just don't want you to resent me or something because of all this…."

_Resent?_ Ichigo repeated, eyes widening. Had she lost her mind? "Orihime," he began as he attempted to figure out how to say what he was thinking. Eventually he decided to go with the most direct response, so he said, "I would never."

Orihime blinked up at him before a bright smile lit up her face, along with a faint blush, and she said, "That's good!"

She had turned, stepping toward her desk and the report she'd only just begun to go through before the explosion, when a question slipped thoughtlessly past Ichigo's lips. "Do the people from Eleventh always give you guys crap like that?"

Orihime paused, standing beside her desk, and looked back at him, her head tilting as she thought about his question. "Well," she began carefully, "it's true that they are some of our worst patients. We very rarely have incidents like that one, though. Usually they're more like the other ones you've witnessed."

Ichigo's eyes narrowed. "Why don't they listen to you?"

With a shrug, Orihime replied, "I always figured it's because I'm not very scary. They used to always listen to Captain Unohana – she can be _**very**_ scary when she wants to be."

Natural scowl deepening, Ichigo said, "You shouldn't _**need**_ to be scary to make them listen." He paused, glancing thoughtfully out the window before grumbling, "Damn, I never realized how disrespectful they can be."

Orihime frowned. She hadn't meant to upset him, and she knew he'd originally been a member of Eleventh. _Oh, darn, I shouldn't have said that._ "You don't need to worry about it, Ichigo. I almost always get them to listen to me somehow!"

Ichigo sighed and returned his gaze to hers. "It's alright. The good news is the Ninth Seat has a big mouth, so with a little luck they'll start figuring out that that shit won't fly anymore."

With a laughing smile Orihime asked, "Are you going to be my Intimidator?"

A faint chuckle rumbling up in his chest, Ichigo replied, "Yeah, I'll be your Intimidator."

They shared a brief laugh before Orihime settled at her desk and made a face at the report before her. It was her turn to blurt a question as she suddenly asked, "Say, does Juushirou have this much paperwork? Or is it just me?"

"It's not just you," Ichigo assured her with a faint grin as he moved to his usual position against the wall beside her desk.

"Well, that's a relief at least," Orihime said with a half-sigh, half-laugh. She looked back up at Ichigo long enough to smile at him, her eyes twinkling in the sunlight that was streaming in from the window behind her.

She turned her head, then, and attempted to focus on the report, and Ichigo released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

But, then, he noticed she'd been doing that to him a lot this past week.

* * *

><p><strong>Barely an<strong> hour passed before a voice suddenly called their attention from the other side of the door. A voice Ichigo knew fairly well.

"Forgive my interruption, Captain Inoue!" the male voice called formally. "May I please enter?"

Curiously, Orihime lifted her gaze to Ichigo and whispered, "Who?"

Instead of answering her question directly, Ichigo called, "Oi, Sentarou, quit yelling."

The door slid open a moment later, revealing the co-Third Seat of Squad Thirteen. He wore a grave expression as he stepped into the room. Even so, he paused to smirk at Ichigo and say, "Long time no see, Slacker."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes. "Shut up."

Orihime stood, smiling and feeling embarrassed for not having recognized the man's voice. "Good afternoon, Sentarou. What can I do for you? Is Captain Ukitake alright?"

Sentarou bowed quickly, replying, "Yes, ma'am, he's feeling fine. Unfortunately, there was an accident, and I'm afraid Kiyone is actually the one in need of your services today."

Ichigo lifted Zangetsu from the wall at his side as Orihime moved, reaching for her own zanpakutou and saying, "Oh, of course! I'll come right away!"

Bowing again, Sentarou said, "Thank you, Captain!"

* * *

><p><strong>They made<strong> short time of the journey between barracks, and Juushirou ushered them quickly into Kiyone's private quarters, where she was resting. Orihime rushed immediately to her side and wasted no time in getting her treatment underway. Ichigo stayed back, standing with Juushirou and Sentarou and watching silently.

Once Orihime had done all she could, and Kiyone was sleeping, the group moved to the adjoining sitting room quietly.

"She'll be fine," Orihime promised with a smile. "What she needs now is sleep, to give her body time to finish regaining energy. She should be up and around by tomorrow morning."

"Thank goodness," Juushirou breathed. He offered a grateful smile to the younger Captain and added, "I do appreciate you rushing over here, Orihime."

"I was happy to," Orihime said. "Kiyone's a sweet girl, and her sister _**is**_ one of my closest friends remember."

Juushirou laughed faintly and nodded. "That's all very true, but I wanted to say 'thank you' anyway."

Orihime smiled, silently accepting his gratitude.

After a moment, Ichigo shifted and pushed to his feet. Looking over at his Captain, he asked, "Can I trust you two to keep an eye on Orihime for a minute? While we're here I wanna pick up a few things."

"Of course," Juushirou said with a nod, opting not to comment on Ichigo's casual use of her name.

Orihime looked up to Ichigo as he glanced her way and said, "Ichigo, if you needed to pick something up, you could've come sooner."

"I'd have asked someone to bring 'em to me if I _**needed**_ them," Ichigo assured her. "I'll be back in a minute." He slipped from the room without another word, quietly shutting the door behind himself.

Juushirou turned an easy smile to Orihime and said, "I do hope Ichigo's behaving himself."

Orihime's smile was genuine as she replied, "Oh, he's been great. He's helped with lots of little things, and he takes his job very seriously. Sometimes I even think he sleeps outside my door the whole night, but he swears he doesn't."

Juushirou laughed faintly. "Yes, he is rather serious about things, isn't he? But that's good, I'm glad to hear it. Rumor has it he's broken up more than a few fights, too."

"It's true," she replied. "Sometimes we have a real problem with Squad Eleven – they don't like being treated – and Ichigo's always been good about stepping in and getting them to listen to me."

"I'm sure he has," Juushirou said with another quiet chuckle. "Has everything else been quiet?"

Knowing what he was really asking, Orihime nodded. "Yes. There hasn't been anything at all out of the ordinary, other than the volunteers – and those numbers have been getting smaller, too."

* * *

><p><strong>Ichigo returned<strong> with a small bag slung over one shoulder a short while later, and after a final check-in on Kiyone, he and Orihime made their exit. They traveled at a more casual pace back to Fourth, and once they were there Orihime decided they should detour to what she had deemed 'Ichigo's home away from home.'

He cocked an eyebrow at her when she led them to his door, and she smiled. "This way you can drop off your things without actually letting me out of your sight."

With a faint shrug he stepped forward and easily opened the door.

He was fully inside when he realized she wasn't following him, so he turned and asked, "What're you doing out there?"

Her cheeks were instantly pink at his words, and she said, "I can just wait out here for you."

He scowled, not angrily but pointedly, and said, "Using your own logic, you should come inside. I can't keep my eye on you if you're out there."

"Heh, that's true," Orihime relented, looking away as the heat on her face increased. _I should really think about how I word things!_ Without further argument, she stepped inside and pulled the door shut behind her.

She wasn't surprised to see that he hadn't done much with the space, as it wasn't intended to be permanent, and she tried to keep her wandering eyes hidden as she followed him toward the bedroom. Something about the obvious temporary status of the quarters was bothering her, and the sensation only grew as she followed him deeper inside.

She followed him until she reached the entrance to the bedroom, and then she stopped, not wanting to further invade his space. This was the only place he could come anymore to really get away from her after all, and she felt a little like she was invading.

Ichigo continued on, depositing the bag against one of the walls before standing upright again and turning to her. "Done," he said, lips twitching in a half-grin.

Orihime smiled softly, but said nothing.

It was strange how just walking through his sitting room could really bring home that his time at her side was temporary. It was always supposed to be temporary, of course, and she thought she'd known that, but now it was so glaringly obvious that – for no reason that made any sense – it _**hurt**_.

_It's not like our friendship will end when he leaves,_ she reminded herself. She knew he wasn't the kind of guy who forgot about his friends, but the idea of not having him around constantly caused a strange pain to flare inside her chest.

Ichigo scowled when he noticed the flash in her eyes that indicated something was wrong, and he stepped up to her in concern. His concern mounted when he realized she hadn't noticed him move closer. "Orihime?" he asked carefully, reaching out and resting one hand lightly on her shoulder.

Orihime started at the contact, at the same time registering his inquiry, and her eyes re-focused, bringing her gaze to his. She flushed immediately, partly in embarrassment and partly because of their close proximity, and said, "Oh, I'm so sorry! I got lost in my own head again!"

The deepening scowl on his face told her he knew she was hiding something.

Letting his hand drop to his side, Ichigo asked, "Care to tell me about it?"

She laughed self-consciously, waving her hands in front of herself as she said, "It's really nothing important, I promise! Are you ready to go, then?" She turned as she talked, hoping to get out of having to answer – especially since she had no idea _**how**_ she'd answer.

Ichigo reached out again and snagged her elbow in a light, but firm, grip as he said, "No, I think it is important. Why won't you tell me?"

Orihime sighed and turned back around to face him properly. She looked down reflexively as he released her arm and pursed her lips for a moment. Without looking up, she finally said, "It's…silly, and kind of embarrassing. And, honestly, I don't really know how to explain it completely…."

Keeping his voice gentle, Ichigo asked, "Can you at least tell me why you looked upset?"

Orihime pulled her lip between her teeth and dragged her eyes back up to his. Hesitantly, she asked, "You know how…you get used to things really easily sometimes? But, sometimes, those things don't last – or maybe they're not supposed to in the first place – and then, when they're gone, it just feels…wrong?"

"Yeah," Ichigo replied, eyebrows furrowed. _Where's she going with this?_

"Well, it's just that…I, um, I've gotten kind of used to having you around," Orihime mumbled, unable to hold his gaze as the words tumbled awkwardly from her lips. "And I…I know I'm going to miss your company…when you go back, I mean. Eh, heh, see? It's silly…."

Ichigo had to swallow heavily as he digested her words. Granted, she hadn't really said anything like what he'd been feeling, but what she had said _**could**_ lead there – and, moreover, it was nice to hear anyway.

Finally gathering himself, he felt his lips curve into a small smile as he reached out, this time capturing one of her hands in his (and subsequently removing it from the fabric it had been twisted in). When her eyes lifted back to his he said quietly, "It's not silly."

Orihime smiled slowly, glad he seemed to understand, and she squeezed his hand gently in silent gratitude.

Ichigo curled his hand a little tighter around hers and suddenly found himself nearly overwhelmed by the desire to kiss her. With the way she was looking at him in that moment, he could almost believe that she wanted it, too, and it would be _**so**_ easy. All he'd have to do would be to lean in, just a little, and then he'd finally know what her lips tasted like.

_But that would be crossing a line,_ he reminded himself firmly the moment he felt his head begin to lower. _She's your friend, not to mention your superior._ And he couldn't put her in that position, it wouldn't be right – especially not when he was still supposed to be protecting her.

The decision was taken from him a moment later, when a familiar tinkling sound suddenly filled the air as a Hell Butterfly fluttered into the room.

Their hands fell apart immediately, both flushing as if they'd been caught doing something inappropriate, and they turned their full attention to the small, magical creature.

As the Hell Butterfly approached them a pre-recorded message began playing. **"Attention: Ryouka detected near the Southern Gate. All squad members are to return to their designations immediately. The Ryouka are suspected allies of the prisoners recently apprehended in outer West Rukon. Repeat: Ryouka detected near Southern Gate…."**

Startled gray eyes met narrowed brown for a long moment before Ichigo grabbed her hand again and started for the door. "Come on, this is no place to set up, and no one will come looking for you here if they need you."

"This is it, isn't it?" Orihime asked as she let Ichigo lead her quickly down the hall.

"Probably," Ichigo replied as he navigated the shortest possible route to her office. It wasn't much better in terms of defensibility, but it was centrally located, so she would be able to do her job better from there – whether he liked it or not.

"Captain!" Hanatarou called as he joined them after they'd rounded another corner. He immediately began jogging to keep up with their pace, as Ichigo did not slow down. "I assume you got the message?"

"Yes," Orihime replied. "I need you to make sure the occupied infirmary rooms are properly defended. Please, hurry, it's incredibly important that we don't let our patients get dragged into any fighting."

"Of course, Captain!" Hanatarou replied, turning at the next corner to carry out his assignment.

They passed many more Soul Reapers, all rushing to their stations or to finish something that they'd been in the middle of when the announcement had come. And then they were finally at Orihime's office, and Ichigo came to a stop.

He held a hand out, keeping her behind him, as he slid the door partially open and looked around. When he was sure that it was safe, he stepped in and pulled Orihime in after him.

To her surprise, he left the door open. Curiously, she asked, "Ichigo…why did you leave the door open?"

"We'd be pretty much blind if it was closed," he explained. "If someone's gonna attack, this way I'll see them coming." He paused, glancing again around the office, and finally asked, "But, do me a favor and stay away from the windows, alright?"

Orihime glanced behind her, to the window she had reflexively moved towards, and quickly moved away. Keeping away from the windows she at least understood.

As she sat down on the couch, she asked, "Are we just going to stay in here the whole time?"

Ichigo narrowed his eyes as he mulled over her question. "Probably not," he replied after a minute. "But until we have a better idea of the situation, this is the best way to keep you safe."

"If my squad needs me…" Orihime began carefully, not wanting to upset him but needing him to understand that she still intended to fulfill her duties.

"Then of course we'll go," Ichigo replied before she could finish. "I'm not asking you to shirk your duties; I just want you to be as safe as possible."

Orihime smiled. _Of course he understands._ "Ichigo…thank you."

Ichigo turned and smirked at her silently.

Another Hell Butterfly fluttered into the room, then, once again drawing their attention. **"Update: the Ryouka have split into groups. The Stealth Force has lost sight of them, but they were last seen moving north. The Department of Research and Development has reported complete technical failure. All Captains and Lieutenants are to report their status immediately to the Head Captain via Hell Butterfly. Repeat: the Ryouka are moving north in multiple groups…."**

"Squad Twelve," Orihime breathed as the message finished, "weren't they on the list?"

"Yeah," Ichigo replied.

Silently they released their own Hell Butterflies, sending their requested status information to the Head Captain. Another Hell Butterfly gently fluttered away, down the hall, as Orihime added a message of her own to Hanatarou.

Ichigo cut a glance in her direction, one eyebrow arched.

"If these intruders were organized enough to cause a technical failure at the Department of Research and Development, then I don't want to think about what they have planned for us," Orihime explained. "But I want to be as prepared as possible."

"Understandable," Ichigo replied with a short nod.

Eyes downcast, Orihime said, "I don't know how well we can rea-." She was cut off by an explosion that rocked the entire office.

"Dammit!" Ichigo cursed, his right hand automatically reaching for Zangetsu as he braced himself to keep his balance. A quick glance down the hall told him that no one was coming, but it did little to reassure him.

As the explosion settled Orihime's eyes widened in fear. "No!" she exclaimed, jumping to her feet and bolting for the door. She knew where the explosion had been, and she could only pray she moved fast enough.

Ichigo cursed again as Orihime raced past him, clearly disregarding her own safety. "Orihime!" he called, chasing after her.

Multiple Hell Butterflies were circling her, then, as she called, "Out! I want everybody to evacuate the barracks immediately!"

She was running straight for the medical wing, and it didn't take Ichigo long to realize that that was where the explosion had come from. The moment that realization hit he knew why she was worried. Someone was targeting them, aiming to take out not only the medical crew, but their supplies as well.

Which still meant that Orihime would be the prime target.

_**To Be Continued…**_

_**A/N:**_ Uh-oh, Orihime is targeted! (Wait, haven't we had, like, three episodes with that in the title? LOL) Anyway, don't mind my goofiness! Did you all enjoy this chapter? Did you like the building fluff? Should I shut up and get to work on chapter nine so you don't have to kill me? Yeah, I thought so. But please review while you're waiting!


	9. Chaos Erupts

_**A/N:**_ Hello hello! Welcome back and, of course, I hope you enjoy this installment!

**Disclaimer:** Bleach is still not mine. Unfamiliar characters are.

**Second Chance**

**Chapter Nine: Chaos Erupts**

** "Is that** everyone?" Orihime asked as another occupied stretcher was placed, carefully, on the ground alongside nearly a dozen others.

"Yes, Captain," her Third Seat replied with a nod.

The Fifth Seat spoke up next, saying, "We salvaged as much as we could, Captain, but the explosion and resulting fire destroyed most of the Eastern Infirmary."

Orihime took a deep breath and nodded. "Alright; thank you." She turned, then, and released her zanpakutou in order to begin healing all of the injured. When the golden dome was in place she reached out and rested her free palm against the smooth surface.

"Captain," the Third Seat began hesitantly, "what do we do now?"

Orihime's eyes drooped in a mixture of sadness and guilt as she thought over the question. Truthfully, she had no idea how to answer. She certainly hadn't been trained for a situation like the one they were in now, and this wasn't the kind of thing that came naturally to her. _But it's my fault that so many people were hurt. I should have been better prepared. I absolutely can't allow anyone else to get hurt because of my inaction._

The Third Seat shifted awkwardly as he waited for a response.

Orihime swallowed, her hand curling subconsciously against the dome, as she fought back a brief surge of burning liquid in her eyes. Now was not the time for tears.

Ichigo watched her carefully, but it was clear she didn't really _**have**_ an answer to the question. So he decided to step in, remembering the request she'd made of him when they'd gone into the Rukongai before.

Voice firm and authoritative, he said, "We need to create a defensible space. Is anyone here accomplished with kidou?"

The Seated officers gathered around them all turned their attention to Ichigo as he spoke, and it was several seconds before a couple of them finally responded to his question.

Orihime watched as Ichigo took charge, directing three of her higher-ranking officers to help set up some sort of kidou-based defensive traps around the area that they had taken refuge in. When he was done giving instructions the officers left, hurrying to finish their assignments.

Ichigo wasted no time in giving additional orders to a few other Soul Reapers, gesturing when necessary to get his point across.

She couldn't help but smile, just a little, as she watched.

She couldn't describe how grateful she was to him in that moment, not only for being there beside her, but for being so willing (and ready) to take charge. He wasn't actually her Lieutenant, it wasn't really his responsibility to help her take care of her squad – but he was doing it anyway. And, thankfully, her squad members were responding well.

Hanatarou came up beside her as Ichigo finished handing out assignments, panting slightly, his arms full of different-sized packages. "I got the supplies you requested, Captain!"

Orihime turned to him and smiled appreciatively. "Thank you, Hanatarou. Go ahead and set them to the side for the moment, with all of the other supplies we salvaged. I'm afraid we'll need them soon enough."

The older man nodded in understanding and moved toward the already-organized pile of supplies that hadn't been destroyed in the fire.

Ichigo turned to Orihime as Hanatarou walked away, his expression automatically softening slightly as he stepped up and asked, "How's the healing coming along?"

Orihime's eyes flickered to the men and women beneath her healing dome, studying each for a moment before she replied softly, "They're healing well, but some of their injuries are pretty bad. I don't think they all would've survived if not for my Souten Kisshun."

"You're probably right," Ichigo agreed, hating to say it but knowing that any other response would be a lie. He shifted his gaze back to her and offered, "It'll be okay. You can fix them, and I can fight off whoever comes after you."

Orihime swallowed again, sighing faintly before admitting, "I don't want you – or anyone else – getting hurt because of me."

"Don't worry about that," Ichigo asserted. "I know what I'm doing, I'll be fine. We all will."

There was something in the way he said those simple words – something hiding in the tone of his voice, or the light in his eyes – that told her, unequivocally, that he meant what he said. They would all be fine.

It was a strange and unexpected realization, but it was undeniable, and it brought a small smile to her lips. She wanted to thank him, but before she could, another explosion rocked the ground beneath their feet.

Ichigo's hand went up, immediately curling around the hilt of his zanpakutou, and he swept his gaze wide as he scanned for anyone suspicious. Beside him, Orihime turned, and he focused his attention on her until he was sure she wasn't going to go running once again.

The Soul Reapers around them – the ones Ichigo hadn't sent out – all stared, open-mouthed and wide-eyed as they watched another section of the infirmaries go up in smoke.

Orihime sucked in a ragged breath as she battled against her instincts. She _**knew**_ they had evacuated the barracks – there was no one inside – but she worried anyway.

"Stay," Ichigo instructed, his voice quiet but commanding.

"I know," Orihime replied heavily. It was hard to watch her home burn to the ground, even if she knew it could be restored. _What really matters is that my squad is safe,_ she reminded herself.

Another explosion sounded then, startling everyone and jerking their attention past the infirmary wing of the barracks. An entirely different building had just gone up in flames, sending more burning debris into the sky. This building was set further back, and wasn't actually visible from the far corner that they had secured for themselves. But everyone knew what it was.

Ichigo felt his blood boiling close to the surface as his eyes narrowed, glaring into the flames, fists curling at his sides. He'd sworn to protect Orihime, and so he would stay where he was and wait for the enemy to come to them. But it went against his every instinct not to hunt down the people responsible for all of the devastation – for all of the pain he knew Orihime was hiding.

"Captain…" Hanatarou mumbled as he stepped up to her other side, wide eyes focused on the newest plume of smoke as it arched up to the sky.

Orihime stared in muted shock, eyes wide and mind strangely numb as she took in the sight before her. _If it continues at this rate, we won't even be safe here…._ Ichigo had assured her that this was a good enough place, but surely he couldn't have predicted all of this. She was at a loss now. _I didn't even know what to do before…and now…._

"We need to put out those fires," Ichigo finally said, forcing his eyes away from the burning barracks. He turned toward the Soul Reapers standing around them and held out one arm. "Get moving before the rest of the buildings catch fire!"

"Yes, sir!" a chorus of voices responded. A heartbeat later two dozen Soul Reapers of varying stations grabbed what buckets they had available and began running forward.

Gathering himself, Hanatarou looked away from the devastation and asked, "Captain, would you like me to see if there's anything that we can-?"

"No," Orihime replied before he could finish his question. Her voice was firm, if not slightly choked. "It's not important right now. I'll worry about it later."

"But…" Hanatarou began, trailing off when he realized he wasn't sure how to continue.

What did one say to someone whose home had just gone up in flames?

Orihime turned away, putting her back to the growing blazes and once again resting her hand on the golden dome. She took a deep breath, swallowing heavily as a single tear trailed down her cheek. _They're just things,_ she told herself.

Ichigo turned to watch her, his scowl deepening when he caught a glimpse of the transparent liquid as it pooled on her jaw. _Of course she's upset,_ he reflected silently.

"_**Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!**_"

Ichigo, Hanatarou, and Orihime spun around once more at the familiar command as it seemed to hang in the air. They watched in shock as the nearest burning building was engulfed in ice. Only after another long minute did they look beyond it, to see that Orihime's personal quarters had also been engulfed in ice.

Rukia appeared before them a moment later, followed by several Soul Reapers who stayed back, kneeling for a moment out of respect before rising to their feet.

"Wipe that look off of your faces," Rukia instructed with a smirk as she sheathed her zanpakutou.

"Rukia," Orihime began, a smile slowly curving her lips, "thank you. Did you come to help?"

"Yes," Rukia replied as she crossed her arms thoughtfully. "The Head Captain received your messages, and she asked my brother to send you some backup. Since you had burning buildings, he decided I might be better able to help."

"So what the hell took you so long?" Ichigo asked, his own arms crossing.

Rukia frowned at him, moving her hands to her hips, and said, "We got here as quickly as we could! In case you missed it, there's chaos _**everywhere**_!"

Before the argument – which was entirely unnecessary – could escalate further, Orihime interrupted and asked, "What is the situation outside? I haven't received any updates since the first explosion."

"There haven't been any other organized updates," Rukia explained. "All of the squads that Captain Hitsugaya and the others found blueprints for have been targeted. The rest of us are splitting our forces between helping with damage control and hunting the intruders, so as you can imagine we aren't making a lot of progress."

"Damn," Ichigo grunted, jaw clenching.

"This is all just so horrible," Orihime said. Her eyes widened, then, and she asked, "Wait, what about Squad One?"

Rukia looked away and nodded. "Yes, even Squad One. I suspect that's why the messages have stopped. But I don't think we need to worry – I know my brother went to help, and Captain Sasakibe took a team as well."

Orihime closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She knew in her heart that Captain Unohana and Isane would be alright – they had survived far worse, after all – but they were her friends, and it was in her nature to worry.

"Captain Inoue!" a new voice suddenly called as a messenger from Squad One appeared, one knee on the ground and head bowed, to Orihime's side. He was kneeling just a few feet from Hanatarou, on the opposite side of Orihime from Ichigo.

The three Lieutenants turned their attention to the newcomer silently as Orihime asked, "Yes? Do you have word from Captain Unohana?"

"Yes," the messenger replied. "The Head Captain has an urgent message for you."

Orihime turned to properly face him, her full attention focusing on his words as she waited to hear the message. She could only hope it wasn't bad news.

The situation changed in an instant as, suddenly, the messenger leapt forward, a small dagger clenched in one hand.

Hanatarou stumbled back in shock as his eyes widened.

Orihime sucked in a breath, but she didn't have time to even think of raising her sword to defend herself, because Ichigo was already there.

Ichigo put himself between them immediately, blocking the messenger's attack and twisting his arm around sharply as he growled, "You bastard!" The messenger's arm snapped loudly – causing him to cry out in pain – and Ichigo followed up by lifting his foot and planting it in the man's chest, shoving him back forcefully.

Rukia used the interference to move to Orihime's side, putting one hand on her upper arm and saying, "We need to move back, Captain!"

Orihime couldn't find the words to respond with as she allowed the smaller woman to pull her backwards several paces. It never would have occurred to her to expect an attack from the inside, but she knew this wasn't an imposter – she had seen him at least a dozen times before. And now she wondered how many other established Soul Reapers might not be who they claimed.

As Rukia tugged Orihime away from the fight, the men she'd brought with her from her own squad leapt into action, surrounding the women and drawing their swords as they prepared to join the battle.

Hanatarou finally pulled himself together as the messenger went flying backwards after a particularly hard punch from Ichigo, and he scrambled toward his Captain. "Captain, are you alright?"

The concerned voice of her Lieutenant helped to drag Orihime out of her thoughts and she said, "Yes, I'm fine, thank you."

More Soul Reapers – members of Squad Four – arrived as Ichigo continued to beat the traitorous messenger back. Rukia quickly ordered them to stay back from the battle, and most of them gathered somewhere behind their Captain.

The messenger managed to get his feet beneath him and he spun, delivering a sharp blow to Ichigo's chest and knocking him backwards. The man then positioned his hands deliberately, his lips moving rapidly, and a visible energy began swirling in his palms.

"Kidou," Rukia gasped as she realized what was about to happen.

Simultaneously, Orihime breathed, "Ichigo…."

The kidou fired before either could formulate a proper counter, connecting with the spot where Ichigo had been kneeling.

Orihime held her breath as she waited to see what kind of condition he was in. Her hand tightened around the hilt of her zanpakutou as her Souten Kisshun faded, having finished healing her squad members.

The dust cleared, revealing Ichigo – still kneeling – with Zangetsu held firmly in place between his body and his enemy. The kidou had collided with the zanpakutou, and not the man.

As Orihime and Rukia released the breaths they'd been holding, Ichigo sprang to his feet, growling another curse at his opponent that was lost to their ears. Zangetsu crashed against the small dagger that had previously been aimed at Orihime, but the dagger held, and the messenger dug his heels into the dirt beneath his feet.

"She must die!" the messenger declared as he pushed against Ichigo's zanpakutou.

Ichigo's glare darkened as he growled, "You'll have to kill me first!"

Beneath his over-sized hat, the messenger grinned and said, "Not necessarily."

"What?" Ichigo asked, caught off-guard by the response. But a moment later his question was answered as movement on the ledge of the perimeter wall caught his attention. His eyes flicked to the wall and his stomach sank.

Several men had climbed up from the other side, and were leaping easily off, headed straight towards them. But none of these men were dressed like any Soul Reapers he'd ever seen before, and he knew they were one of the groups of Ryouka that had been mentioned in the reports.

"_**Dammit!**_" Ichigo cursed. He needed to get rid of his opponent – _**now**_.

Ichigo wasn't the only one who'd noticed the arrival of the intruders. Nor was he the only one who was surprised – and concerned – when the kidou traps he'd ordered failed to intercept them.

Rukia put herself in front of Orihime as she unsheathed her sword. "_**Dance,**_" she instructed. Around them several of the other Squad Six members released their own zanpakutous as well.

The intruders spread out, moving around in a wide arc in order to press their advantage. Then one of them hurled something small toward the large gathering of Soul Reapers. The projectile exploded in the air and a cloud of smoke burst forth, immediately descending on them and making it impossible to see more than a foot in front of their own faces.

Orihime felt the fear in her heart grow as the smoke engulfed her. She couldn't even see Rukia. _This isn't going to end well,_ she thought as her grip tightened on her own weapon, though she hated the idea of using it with such poor visibility.

"_**Bankai!**_" Ichigo's voice called through the smoke a heartbeat before the surge of spiritual pressure.

Almost simultaneously, from somewhere behind her, Orihime recognized Hanatarou's voice as he cried out in pain. The all-too-familiar sound of a body hitting the ground followed the outcry seconds later.

In front of her, swords crashed together, and she heard Rukia grunt faintly.

And then, with a pulsation of spiritual pressure, the smoke suddenly cleared.

Ichigo's opponent was kneeling on the ground, clutching at a bleeding wound on his chest.

Rukia was locked in combat with one of the intruders, and a thin line of blood stained her left cheek.

Each of the remaining intruders – at least that Orihime could see – were still spread out. Many had taken hostages (including some of her newly-healed squad members), and a few had taken the opportunity for a sneak attack. Several members of Squad Four were on the ground, bleeding and semi-conscious.

_Hanatarou!_ Orihime remembered, spinning around to see what had happened to her Lieutenant. Her eyes widened when she saw him lying on his side, eyes open, a thin stream of blood dripping from his parted lips as he sucked in uneven breaths. His sword arm was twisted at a horrible angle and there was a hole in his chest, just beneath his heart.

Only a few feet behind him, one of the intruders stood, bloodied sword in hand. He was smirking arrogantly when Orihime finally lifted her eyes to his. "Orihime Inoue," he began, dragging her name out tauntingly. "I hope you're not taking this personally. Rumor has it your healing capabilities are beyond anything Soul Society has seen before – verging on miraculous, in fact – and that's a problem for us. So I'm afraid you have to die."

He paused, and Orihime knew he was waiting for her to reply. But she had nothing she wanted to say to him, so she only narrowed her eyes. It was important for her to keep her composure. The situation hadn't gotten completely out of hand yet.

The man standing behind Hanatarou narrowed his eyes at her silence. "Nothing to say? That's understandable, I suppose. But you should know: I'm not entirely unreasonable. If you surrender here and now, no one else has to get hurt. Well, by that I mean no one who's _**here**_. If you don't, then we'll have to kill whoever decides to get in our way. So…what do you say, Captain?"

Perhaps she had been wrong earlier. There was one thing she intended to say. Taking a deep breath, Orihime kept her voice even as she said, "_**Bankai.**_"

The man's eyes widened, as he clearly hadn't expected that move. Even Ichigo and Rukia spared a glance – for entirely different reasons – in her direction.

The blade of Orihime's sword flared brightly, shifting until it appeared to be made entirely of the golden energy that represented her spiritual pressure. She dragged it up in a sweeping motion and the energy seemed to split apart, sending multiple beams of golden light streaming out.

Each beam of light collided with one of her injured squad members, surrounding each immediately in a familiar healing dome.

Her opponent stepped back in surprise as Hanatarou was encompassed within the golden dome, but after a moment he glared up at her and said, "Go ahead and heal him. Heal them all – we'll only cut them down again!"

"I won't let you," Orihime vowed.

He smirked, then, and said, "You know what? It doesn't matter. We'll just kill _**you**_, and their healing will stop."

Orihime's gaze flickered briefly to the side as he spoke, and she realized what he meant. During the skirmish, she had become sufficiently surrounded – Rukia's fight had taken her several feet away, and Ichigo had been engaged by two more Ryouka. Her eyes returned to the man who had cut down Hanatarou, but she chose to again remain silent.

He adjusted his grip on his sword, muttered something, and suddenly the blade was surrounded in a spiraling layer of barbed wire.

After the transformation settled the man lunged forward, swinging his sword at her. At a closer distance, she realized the barbed wire was sparking ever-so-slightly.

Around her the other intruders – all of whom were wielding released zanpakutous – surged forward as well. They aimed their weapons to run her through or, in some cases, to simply hack her apart.

Orihime closed her eyes as they all closed in on her. She felt their weapons connect, but not with her flesh. Each was repelled by her Shiten Koushun, which had formed an invisible sphere of protection around her body. For a moment her opponents were all held in place, and then their combined attacks were hurled back at them, and each man went flying, crying out in pain.

The man who had attacked Hanatarou sputtered, coughing up blood and gurgling an incoherent insult, before finally pushing to his knees. One hand still covering the hilt of his weapon (though he was actually bracing his weight on his open palm), he lifted his head, murderous intent clear in his eyes.

Whatever he had been about to say, however, was cut short by the sleek, black, blade that was suddenly pressing against his throat in silent warning.

Ichigo was suddenly standing behind the man, one hand on the hilt of his zanpakutou, a challenge in his eyes as he glared down at the intruder. "It's you who should consider surrendering, you son of a bitch."

Orihime took a moment, then, to look around and see how the fights were going.

Rukia's previous opponent was bound by her elder brother's trademark bakudo, and the Lieutenant had since moved on to another man who didn't seem to be faring too well, either.

The two Ichigo had been fighting before were either unconscious or dead – she would have to take a closer look to be sure. And several other intruders, scattered roughly between where he'd been fighting and where she now stood, were in a similar condition.

Orihime returned her attention to the fight before her as her Souten Kisshun returned. Silently, she sent several back out, seeking to heal some of the members of Squad Six who had fallen.

The man who had attacked her didn't seem to buy into Ichigo's threat, and so he attempted to swing his sword up in a violent strike.

Ichigo moved back slightly, shoved his foot beneath the man's body, and kicked him into the sky. The man was still rocketing upward when Ichigo turned, swinging his zanpakutou, and called, "_**Getsuga Tenshou!**_"

The black and red energy exploded up and out, slamming into the man and carrying him even higher before it faded.

The man fell limply back to the ground, his now-shattered zanpakutou crashing to the ground and reverting to its dormant state.

"_**Tsugi no mai – hakuren!**_" Rukia called from behind Orihime.

Ichigo turned his back to the man he'd just defeated and locked his eyes onto Orihime's. "Are you alright?"

She smiled softly and replied, "Yes." Her smile vanished when she realized what his black robes were almost-fully concealing. "But you're not…."

Ichigo waved his free hand dismissively. "It's nothing."

"It'll only take a minute for me to heal you," she offered, her eyes echoing the concern in her voice.

His lips twitched upwards and he said, "Might as well wait until the fight's over so you only have to heal me once, right?"

Orihime pouted. "That's not funny. I'd rather you just not get hurt."

"It's not like I _**try**_," he pointed out lightly. "Now stay here and keep your shield up while I finish this." Without waiting for a response, he flash-stepped to the nearest (conscious) intruder and re-joined the battle.

Orihime turned to keep her eyes on the fight, though she took a moment to smile at Hanatarou as he stepped up beside her.

And then her eyes returned to the sky, where Ichigo was currently trading blows with another enemy.

_**To Be Continued…**_

_**A/N:**_ You know, it occurred to me that with all of the fighting I'm throwing into this story (I swear it wasn't originally supposed to be there…) you probably aren't going to believe me when I say I'm horrendously uncomfortable with fight-scenes…. But, hey, 'practice makes perfect' right? Let's go with that. And, maybe, while you're down here, you could review? Then go read the next one!


	10. In the Wake of Devastation I

_**A/N:**_ Hello, and welcome to Part Two of Fight Number Two! Err, I mean, chapter ten! …Yeah, okay, I'm just gonna stop now. So go on – read!

**Disclaimer:** Bleach – Tite Kubo. OCs you haven't seen in a while – me. Any questions?

**Second Chance**

**Chapter Ten: In the Wake of Devastation I**

** So much** had happened so quickly that, as Orihime stood before a healing Soi Fon, watching as Ichigo and Renji battled against the man who had identified himself as their enemy's leader, she wondered if it wasn't just a nightmare.

One minute she had been talking with Ichigo in his borrowed room, and her heart had been beating so rapidly because it seemed like he was thinking about kissing her and she couldn't believe how badly she wanted him to.

And then everything had become a jumble of explosions, screams, and clashing swords.

By the time the battle within the barracks of Squad Four seemed to be wrapping up they received word that Soi Fon was in desperate need of backup.

Now here they were, with over half of the Stealth Force scattered along the ground, healing beneath Orihime's bankai. Ichigo and Renji were all that stood, now, between the enemy and their goal of rescuing their imprisoned comrades.

Supposedly there was a small contingent of skilled fighters waiting to intercept the intruders before they reached the prison, but so far nothing the Stealth Force had thrown at them had worked, and Orihime didn't want to assume that their final backup plan would be the exception.

She had thought that the attacks on her own barracks had been horrible, and disturbingly well-organized, but after coming to Squad Two, Orihime had come to realize that she had not been their priority. And everything they had done to her they had done several times over to the others.

Squad Two had some major reconstruction ahead of them, the likes of which would take months – at least – to complete.

* * *

><p><strong>Soi Fon <strong>had since rejoined the fight, though being forced to settle for a different opponent, when a surge of power sent both Renji and Ichigo flying. Both men crashed into the ground, and Renji's zanpakutou released a frighteningly defeated cry before collapsing around his prone form.

For a moment, Orihime was frozen in terror. She forgot how to breathe as she watched Ichigo slam violently into the hard ground. Something cold and painful suddenly had a tight grip of her heart.

And then she sucked in a gasping breath before his name tore from her lips and she was running forward. Two more manifestations of her Souten Kisshun shot ahead of her, but it didn't take Orihime much longer to reach Ichigo's side.

He was groaning as he struggled to push himself to his feet, and it was a minute before he realized that she was there, kneeling in front of him. He looked up, then, meeting her gaze as best he could through the blood that was still dripping over his eyes. _I probably look like shit,_ he realized fleetingly. Unfortunately, he knew it couldn't be helped.

"Ichigo," Orihime gasped, her eyes brimming with unshed tears as her free hand curled over the dome that separated them.

He attempted a laugh, which came out as a half-choke, and smirked. "Don't give me that look," he said. His humor died as he remembered that his friend had also been hit with the attack that had knocked him out of the sky, and he asked, "Where's Renji?"

Orihime's eyes moved briefly to the side, several yards over, where another golden dome was visible. "He's unconscious," she said, "but he'll be alright."

"Good," Ichigo replied, shifting his weight before he realized that he couldn't stand with the dome over him. Her eyes were already back on him when he looked to her again and added, "You have to let me out, Orihime."

"Not until you're healed," Orihime said firmly.

Ichigo closed his eyes for a moment, hoping to find the words to properly articulate his thoughts. When he opened his eyes again he held her gaze and said, "Orihime, I'm the only one who can stop him right now. I _**have**_ to fight him."

"And what if it kills you?" Orihime asked, her voice cracking as her eyes pleaded with him. She couldn't explain it, because it really didn't make a lot of sense, but the very idea brought a pain to her heart like she had never felt before.

"It won't," Ichigo promised. He hated himself for the pain he could see in her eyes, but they didn't have the luxury to handle this differently. He would have to apologize to her later.

Orihime opened her mouth to respond, but she cut herself off when the man Ichigo and Renji had been fighting landed on the other side of her Souten Kisshun.

"You must be Captain Inoue," he stated, his tone implying only passing interest.

Orihime pushed to her feet, her right hand clenching tightly to the hilt of her zanpakutou. "I didn't catch your name," she replied.

"My apologies," he said. "You can simply call me Shiota."

"Why are you doing all of this?" Orihime asked, doing her best to ignore Ichigo as he shifted again beneath the dome. She knew he was eager to return to the fight, but she didn't want to let him out until he was healed. His injuries were worse than he was letting on, but if she could stall their enemy for even ten minutes he would be in a better condition to fight.

"Oh, I think you know the answer to that already," Shiota replied. "And, as interesting as it would be to continue this conversation, I'm well aware of what you're trying to do. And since my ultimate intent is to kill as many Soul Reapers as possible, you'll understand why adding you to the list won't give me any pause."

Orihime narrowed her eyes in a challenge. "Then attack me. You already sent several of your men to do that, didn't you?"

Shiota lifted an eyebrow at her curiously. "You're attempting to goad me into attacking you recklessly, aren't you? You think I would assume that the only thing your bankai does is exponentially increase your healing capabilities?"

"Whatever you assume is not my doing," Orihime returned. "I just can't stand it when someone _**talks**_ about attacking, but never follows through."

"I have to admit," Shiota said, "that attitude seems contradictory to the description I'd heard of you."

"Then I suppose your information isn't as flawless as you thought," Orihime replied.

"Perhaps not," Shiota allowed with a faint shrug. "It really doesn't matter at this point, because this conversation is over."

"Then make your move," Orihime said. "I won't stop healing my friends until they're better, unless you manage to defeat me."

"I suppose that's fair," Shiota acknowledged. He held his hand out, then, and an energy not unlike lightning built up his arm and shot forth, toward Orihime.

Orihime held her ground, watching the attack silently. Her Shiten Koushun would repel it; she was more interested in what he would do next.

Ichigo locked his jaw tight as he watched the attack arch toward her. He knew her shield would protect her, and there was nothing he could do while he was stuck inside her healing dome, but he hated having to just sit back and watch as she was attacked.

The energy connected with her previously-invisible shield, and for a long moment the power built but did not reverse. Everyone watched with bated breath until the power was flung backwards, but as the power shot away, the shield surrounding Orihime flared again and shattered.

Orihime's eyes widened as her shield shattered around her. She wouldn't be able to call it back – not as it had been – without completely dropping and then re-releasing her bankai. And even if she had the time for that, at this point she simply didn't believe she had the energy for a maneuver that big.

Shiota smirked and leapt into the air, dodging the redirected attack, and as he landed again he held his arm forth once more. This time, when the energy gathered, it held in his palm and curved together until it formed the shape of a sword. "Now, then," he said, "let's see what else you've got."

He surged forward, energy weapon in hand and a violent glint in his eyes.

"_**Orihime!**_" Ichigo cried as true fear slammed into him. He didn't want to see what would happen if the attack connected, and he didn't think he could handle seeing her get hurt.

Orihime ran through her options instantly. She could block his weapon with her own, but if her shield had been destroyed by his power before, then her blade – which was currently comprised of the same energy – would surely shatter as well. And if her blade shattered, her bankai would fall, and everyone she was healing would be left as they were. Not everyone would survive.

However, if she released Ichigo before he was finished healing, she knew he could stop Shiota's attack. Ichigo's zanpakutou was solid, not made of energy the way hers currently was. And the look in his eyes – not to mention the tone of his voice – told her he would prefer to take the attack himself anyway.

So, with guilt heavy in her heart, she pulled back the Souten Kisshun that had encompassed him. At least he had had a few minutes to heal.

Ichigo moved forward immediately, managing (though barely) to block the attack. Fueled by his re-ignited rage, Ichigo dug his heels into the ground to keep himself from being pushed into Orihime and swung his arms forward. Tensa Zangetsu slid down the length of the energy-blade until Shiota's fingers were a hair's breadth away before he finally pulled back, leaping away from Ichigo and Orihime.

"Interesting choice," Shiota commented as he landed easily several paces away. "So you'd rather risk the life of someone else's Lieutenant than your own. I suppose you're no better than Kurotsuchi – sacrificing your subordinates for your own personal gain."

Orihime sucked in a sharp breath as she fought to contain her tears. She felt horrible for not being strong enough to fight – and for subsequently forcing Ichigo to battle a dangerous opponent when he was already injured. _Is he right? Is that what I did?_

She hated to think it – she had never considered herself so selfish – but maybe Shiota was right. Surely she could have found another option – one that kept Ichigo safe, and kept her from losing her bankai.

An audible growl rumbled up from Ichigo's chest when he heard her gasp. He knew she was letting Shiota's taunting words linger too long in her head.

Focusing his glare on the enemy, he snarled, "You fucking bastard! The only one who goes around _**sacrificing**_ their subordinates is _**you!**_" Ichigo leapt forward, then, and swung his sword as the getsuga began building around his hands. "_**Getsuga Tenshou!**_"

Shiota stepped backwards and braced himself, prepared to reengage the battle between himself and Ichigo.

Orihime pulled her lip between her teeth for a long minute as she watched Ichigo resume his fight. She really wanted to stay where she was, watching, waiting for the battle to end so that she could heal his wounds as soon as possible. But she knew she had other responsibilities. She had lost track of the other fights that were going on around them, and she sensed that Renji was beginning to wake up.

"Go," Ichigo called as he blocked another swing of Shiota's weapon. It was clear, though his eyes remained focused on his opponent, that his words were for her. "Take care of the others. I'll be here when you're done."

Orihime nodded, releasing a long breath, and said, "Alright." She turned without another word and flash-stepped to Renji.

* * *

><p><strong>What seemed<strong> (at least to Orihime) like days later the Captains and Lieutenants were all gathered in the battle-torn main courtyard of Squad One. The usual Meeting Hall – along with many other buildings – had not survived the fighting, and so they had had to regroup somewhere they could all fit semi-comfortably.

It had been several hours since the first Ryouka had been spotted, and the sun had long since set.

They had taken inventory of what they could and, as expected, structural damage was high. Unfortunately, casualties were still higher. Neither Orihime nor Unohana had been able to save everyone.

Ichigo had managed to defeat Shiota, though the fight had not been easy. Shiota – unconscious and in bad need of medical attention – had been taken into custody the moment his body had landed on the torn earth. Central 46 was now in complete control of his fate – along with those of his surviving comrades.

Ichigo had landed carefully, almost immediately hitting his knees as the pain of his injuries finally settled in. But Orihime had been there, kneeling before him, before he'd even been able to lift his head to look for her.

Neither had spoken a single word as she began healing him, their eyes locked.

It was shortly after his healing was complete that they received word that the other battles were wrapping up as well. And now they were gathered together, comparing notes for the report that Unohana would submit first thing in the morning.

When they were done, and several minutes after the group had fallen silent, Unohana quietly dismissed them. They walked out of Squad One's barracks in a large group, but after descending the final step, several of their colleagues made quiet exits.

Orihime began walking back to her barracks on autopilot, not even thinking about the devastation that would soon be before her. Hanatarou trailed after her quietly, his eyes downcast. Ichigo reclaimed his position at her side without a second thought, scowling darkly into the night as he wondered what she would do next.

Juushirou bid a quiet goodnight to Shunsui, Nanao, Renji, and Rukia before he trailed after the trio. He was morbidly curious to see how Fourth had fared, but, more so, he wasn't entirely sure what his Lieutenant was going to do. So for the moment he was content to follow quietly.

None of them spoke as they walked, passing numerous Soul Reapers along the way who merely paused to bow before continuing on. No one was in the mood for small-talk.

It wasn't until they were standing at the top of the stairs, facing the front of the barracks and the main courtyard, that Orihime stopped. Somehow it all looked worse under the half-moon light.

As she took in the sight of the destruction one hand lifted in a subconscious gesture and clamped tight over her lips. All of the sadness and fear that had tried to claim her earlier returned in force and Orihime could feel the tears burning behind her eyes. She didn't even realize she had made a choked sound until Hanatarou – standing beside her – finally broke the silence.

Voice soft and hesitant, but obviously trying to be helpful, Hanatarou said, "We don't have to start working on this until tomorrow…."

"Were anyone's personal quarters destroyed?" Orihime asked, her voice muffled by the hand still clamped over her lips.

"O-only yours, Captain," Hanatarou replied sadly.

A single tear escaped as she dragged in a breath and her hand clenched into a tight fist before returning to her side. "That's good," she said.

"Orihime," Juushirou said gently, letting one hand land lightly on her nearest shoulder. When she turned her head to look at him he added, "If your home was lost, why don't you come back with me? We've got plenty of rooms, you could stay the night as our guest. You'll be able to think much more clearly if you get a good night's rest."

"…I couldn't," Orihime replied, looking away.

"Sure you could," Ichigo insisted. He met her gaze solidly when she looked over at him and added, "You can't sleep in your office, and the squad will be fine without you for one night."

"Ichigo's right!" Hanatarou piped up quickly. "I'll still be here, so if anything _**does**_ go wrong, I can handle it – or at least contact you. You deserve to get some rest, Captain, you've worked really hard today!"

Orihime glanced at her Lieutenant before looking back to Juushirou, who smiled and nodded, and then her gaze returned to Ichigo. He was right, of course – she really couldn't sleep in her office. "I…are you sure?"

"Of course," Juushirou assured her, though she wasn't looking at him.

"C'mon, let's go," Ichigo said, reaching out and grabbing her hand before he turned and began leading the way down the stairs. Over his shoulder he called, "Thanks, Hanatarou!"

"Oh, um, anytime!" Hanatarou called back, before bowing to the three retreating backs and adding, "Good night!"

"Good night, Hanatarou," Juushirou returned, pausing and looking over his shoulder to smile kindly at him.

* * *

><p><strong>Juushirou, it<strong> turned out, kept some of his nicer rooms open for guests, and so he gave one of them to Orihime. Being that it was the nicest of his guest rooms it was literally just across the hall from Ichigo's own quarters.

After they had shown it to her, Orihime had smiled gratefully and excused herself, claiming that she was tired. And that much had been true – it had been a long time since she had used her bankai, and never had she used it in a situation quite like the one they'd been in that day. But, despite her exhaustion, she knew it would be a while before she actually slept.

What she really needed was a good cry.

With that thought in mind, she let herself slump into the comfortable sofa, her head falling back to stare at the ceiling. Her breathing was something less than stable, and her eyes were beginning to burn, but before the tears could fall she realized that something was missing. Not in a literal sense, of course, but more that (if she were being honest with herself) she just really did not want to be alone.

_That's a natural reaction,_ she told herself even as an image of Ichigo flashed across her mind's eye. She squeezed her eyes shut and dragged in another deep breath. _I can't. I can't go to him – it wouldn't be very fair, for one thing – and I can't feel like this…I'm not supposed to. Whatever that was earlier, I was just imagining things. …Was that only earlier today? It's all such a blur now…._

Her hand tingled and she squeezed her fist tightly as if she could actually capture the feeling. He had held her hand the entire way to Squad Thirteen, releasing it only when Sentarou came up to greet them. Her hand had fit so nicely in his larger one, and his grip had been so strong and yet strangely gentle – she wished she could somehow wrap that feeling around her entire body.

"_If you need anything," Ichigo had said before she'd slipped into her borrowed room, "I'm right across the hall, okay?"_

The words washed over her again, and again she told herself not to go. She knew all of the reasons why it could be such a bad idea, but she couldn't remember ever feeling so alone.

Before she'd come to Soul Society she, like so many others, had been a part of a larger 'family,' and she'd made fast friends in the Academy. And, of course, since then she had made many friends she knew she would never lose. But none of them were here now, and no matter what she told herself, she found she just couldn't get over the feeling of loneliness.

It was that feeling, that helpless sensation, that pushed her to her feet and had her quickly crossing to the door. She slid it open, stepped through, and slid it shut again quietly.

* * *

><p><strong>Ichigo's forehead<strong> was pressed against a wall, one fist curled above his hair and the other at his side, when the faintest of knocks sounded at his door. He knew it was her before he'd even pushed away from the wall, and he crossed the large sitting room quickly.

But he was utterly unprepared for the sadness in her eyes when she looked up at him almost guiltily.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I just…you said…and, if it's okay, can I-?"

Ichigo stepped to the side and gestured for her to enter as he said, "Of course it's okay; come in."

He said nothing more as she nodded and slipped inside, watching her carefully as he closed and reflexively re-secured the door. When that was done he opened his mouth to ask what she needed – or what he could do – but she beat him to it.

With a ragged sniffle Orihime looked at him for a long moment, clearly wanting to say something, before she made a strange, almost gurgling, sound and moved toward him. Her hands fisted in his shihakushou as her forehead found a resting place on his shoulder, and immediately her body began to shake as the tears finally poured free.

For a moment Ichigo just stared at the auburn hair (which was still somehow mostly contained in her usual bun) that was suddenly in front of his face. And then his senses returned to him and he brought his arms up, wrapping them around her shaking shoulders and holding her tightly. He hated that she was so upset, even if he understood why, but he was glad she felt comfortable enough to come to him for support.

Orihime gasped as she attempted to regulate her breathing, her tears still streaming down her cheeks and her hands still fisted tightly in his robes. She had been right – the feeling of having his arms wrapped tightly around her was incredibly reassuring, and incredibly comforting. Unfortunately, at the moment, it seemed to only be encouraging more of her tears to fall.

Ichigo took a deep breath and lowered his head enough to rest his temple against hers, hoping to help her feel better. She was practically heaving against him as she cried, and he wished he could take all of her pain away. _Or at least kill it._

It was several minutes before Orihime's tears finally subsided and she was able to pull in deep, shaky breaths. And then she felt incredibly guilty for breaking down on him like she had, so the first words out of her mouth were, "I-I'm sorry."

Ichigo scowled, though she couldn't see it, and said, "You don't need to apologize. Are you feeling better?"

"Yes," Orihime replied softly, managing to faintly nod her head without actually lifting it. She dragged in another deep breath before carefully pulling back and offering him a teary, but grateful, smile. "Thank you."

This time his lips curved upwards before he replied, "You're welcome." He paused and held his hand out in offering before adding, "Come on, why don't we sit down?"

Orihime nodded and silently placed her palm over his. She allowed him to guide her to the couch, and watched as he sat before tugging her gently onto the seat beside him.

When she was sitting, still looking upset (though much less so), he asked, "Do you want some tea? Or something to eat?"

"Oh, no," Orihime insisted. "It's so late, I couldn't-" Her stomach interrupted her, seeming to have heard the mention of food and reminding her that she hadn't eaten anything in several hours. She looked back up at him and smiled sheepishly, saying, "Well, alright, maybe some tea…."

Ichigo nodded, grinning, and pushed to his feet. "Stay here, I'll bring it out to you."

Orihime obeyed quietly, allowing herself to look around as he disappeared into the kitchen.

His home was structured much like the quarters she'd been given for the night, which didn't surprise her at all. And though his decorations weren't loud, and nothing about the space was cluttered, it was still very much _**Ichigo**_. It was in stark contrast to the space he'd been living in within her own barracks.

_Of course,_ she reminded herself. _That was a temporary situation._ Her throat tightened again when she realized the truth of her thought. It _**had been**_ a temporary situation – and now it was over. He had done what he'd set out to do; he'd protected her, and now he was free to go home. Or, as it were, to stay home. He could return to his own duties, his normal life, and not have to worry about her.

She would see him when she came to check on Juushirou, or visit one or both of them, and perhaps he would come to visit sometimes, too. She would probably see him in passing from time to time, as she always had; and she would probably see him sometimes when she went out with Rukia and Renji. Maybe, occasionally, they would deliberately spend time together – like friends do.

Her eyes fell shut as she fought back another round of tears. It was always so hard to stop them once she let the first few fall.

"Here," Ichigo called to her gently. When she opened her eyes, flushing faintly, she saw he was holding out a cup of steaming tea and a sandwich on a small plate.

Eyes flicking up to his, she started, "Ichigo-"

"I know you're hungry, even if you won't ask," Ichigo replied. "I already made it, so there's no use feeling guilty. And, yes, I made one for me, too."

Orihime couldn't help but laugh faintly as she accepted his offerings. He'd already figured her out. "Thank you," she said again. She really _**was**_ hungry.

Ichigo chuckled faintly and disappeared into the kitchen again, but this time only long enough to grab his own tea and sandwich. He returned and resettled at her side quietly, watching her eat out of the corner of his eyes.

She still looked sad, and he could admit that it bothered him. He just wished he knew how to make her feel better. But he'd never been the kind of guy who knew just the right thing to say, or do, to make _**anyone**_ feel better. _Let alone the woman I…._

His thoughts trailed and his eyes went wide. He knew he cared about her, it was true, but did he really feel _**that**_ strongly for her?

One more glance at the woman sitting beside him – eyes closed as she inhaled the sweet scent of her tea – gave him his answer.

Yes, he really did. He was completely in love with Orihime Inoue.

_**To Be Continued…**_

_**A/N:**_ And, just like that, chapter ten is done! But don't hate me – the story is not! So, if you don't mind, maybe you could drop me a review while you wait for the next one?


	11. In the Wake of Devastation II

_**A/N:**_ Hello again! I'd like to take a minute to thank all of my amazing reviewers – so many of you made a point to let me know that my fight scenes aren't as disappointing as I'd feared they were, and it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside! I'm so glad you're enjoying this story so far! Now, I know you've all been eagerly awaiting this chapter, so I won't make you wait any longer!

**Disclaimer:** In case you've forgotten, this is pretty simple: Bleach characters – not mine. Original characters – all mine.

**Second Chance**

**Chapter Eleven: In the Wake of Devastation II**

** Orihime rolled** onto her back as she slowly blinked her eyes open. They were unusually crusty, reminding her of the tears she'd shed the night before. And when her vision finally cleared, and she found herself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling, she wasn't confused at all. She remembered _**why**_ she had been crying, too.

And she remembered Ichigo holding her while she cried – not once, but twice.

His arms had been strong and comforting wrapped around her, and his hands had been gentle and soothing as he rubbed circles over her back. He hadn't said a word as she'd cried, simply letting her get it out of her system. She was sure she'd made him uncomfortable, but he hadn't complained or given any actual indication of it, for which she was grateful.

With a sigh, Orihime pulled her thoughts to the present and rolled back onto her side, fully intending to push herself to a sitting position. But she stopped before she could when her eyes landed on a simple decoration adorning the far wall. She didn't remember seeing that in the guest room before.

And, come to think of it, she didn't actually remember returning to the guest room, let alone going to bed.

She pushed to a sitting position, then, and as the comforter pooled to her lap she looked down, noting that she was still dressed in the previous day's shihakushou. Her haori (she had already noted) was folded carefully and resting on top of the dresser. Shun Rikka was propped against the same dresser.

She was still confused, attempting to put the pieces together, when a light tapping drew her attention to the closed bedroom door.

"Orihime?" Ichigo called softly from the other side.

Her eyes widened as she realized what must have happened. She had fallen asleep on his couch! _No, not just on his couch,_ she realized as she went over her most recent memory one more time. _I fell asleep…while he was holding me._ She moaned softly in embarrassment, her hands coming up to cover her face. _And, on top of that, he even let me sleep in his bedroom!_

"Orihime?" Ichigo called again, sounding more concerned than before. He was obviously aware that she was awake.

Doing her best to pull herself together, Orihime lifted her head and called, "Come in."

The door slid open and Ichigo stepped in, two steaming mugs of tea in his hands. He held one out to her as he asked, "Did you sleep alright?"

Orihime knew her cheeks were probably well on their way to scarlet as she accepted the tea. "Yes," she replied. She paused to inhale the fragrance of the liquid before, eyes fixed on the tea, she said, "I'm so sorry, Ichigo. I didn't mean to fall asleep on you like that."

Ichigo lowered himself to the floor in front of her, crossing his legs and blowing on his tea before he said, "It's alright. You were exhausted, and crying like that only drained you more. You needed the sleep."

"I know, but…I should have had the decency to leave first, and let you sleep in your own bed," Orihime argued, still unable to meet his gaze.

"You didn't do anything wrong," Ichigo assured her gently. "I could have carried you across the hall and put you to bed there, but I figured you hadn't come to see me so that you could be alone."

Her heart fluttered at his thoughtful words, and she finally dared to lift her head and meet his gaze.

He was smiling softly at her, and there was no trace of the fierce warrior he had been the day before. Now he was kind, gentle, and concerned, and Orihime felt incredibly honored to be able to see both opposing sides of him.

She couldn't help but return his smile with a small one of her own. "Thank you, Ichigo."

Ichigo took a long sip of his tea before he said, "You're welcome, Orihime." He paused, looking away before he added, "And, uh, you're welcome to take a bath or something before we head out if you want."

Orihime nodded, unable to say anything for the moment. She supposed she should insist on using the room she'd been given for _**something**_, but she didn't want to be so far from him. Not when she wouldn't have a choice on the matter soon enough as it was.

_But, wait,_ she thought, her mind replaying what he'd said. She lifted her gaze again and asked, "'We'?"

Ichigo returned his piercing brown gaze to her as one orange brow lifted curiously.

"You said 'we'," Orihime elaborated, still confused. Did they have to go somewhere she didn't know about yet?

His lips curved up in a faint grin and he replied, "Yeah, 'we.' I know you have a lot of work ahead of you today, and I want to help if I can, so I'm going with you. Besides, at least for the next few days, it's not safe to assume the threat's over yet."

A part of her that Orihime hated to admit to was immediately thrilled at his words. If he felt that way, then he would stay beside her at least for a little while longer. _Still,_ she told herself, "I can't ask you to do that. Reconstruction is my responsibility as Captain, but you don't owe me or my squad anything, Ichigo. You've already done so much…."

His grin vanished, replaced with his natural scowl, and Ichigo said, "I know you figure I don't _**owe**_ you anything, and I don't want to argue about that. But I _**want**_ to help. If you'll let me…."

Orihime swallowed heavily and smiled before she said, "Of course I'll let you, Ichigo. I just didn't want you thinking I expected it."

"Tch," Ichigo scoffed, grinning again. He lifted his tea back to his lips, but before he took another sip he added, "I think I know you better than that."

This time a soft giggle slipped past her lips before she could stop it and she said, "I suppose you probably would."

He did his best to hide the smile that curved his lips at the sound of her laughter with the cup of tea, but he wasn't entirely sure he succeeded. Not that it really mattered; he was just suddenly painfully aware of how often he smiled around her.

Orihime took a large gulp of her tea, but it was still too hot, and so she choked, quickly lifting one hand to her mouth to keep from doing something humiliating.

Ichigo was immediately in front of her, one hand on her shoulder as he asked, "Are you alright?"

Face flushing, she swallowed her mouthful of tea and nodded faintly. Her voice was still half-choked when she managed, "Y-yes, sorry…too hot."

The concern fading from his eyes, Ichigo grinned and said, "Yeah, you should be careful about that."

Her smile broadened, taking on a laughing quality, and she said, "I'll try to remember that from now on."

Ichigo squeezed her shoulder, fully intending to release it, but his hand betrayed him and stayed put.

Their gazes held as the laughter faded and a comfortable silence settled over them.

He didn't pull away, and neither did she.

His thumb ran, lightly, over her shoulder once, then twice, and she pulled in a deep breath.

Her hand – still holding the cup of tea – moved easily to the side, where she set it down on the hardwood floor at the edge of the futon she was still sitting on.

He felt himself begin to lean in, and this time it didn't occur to him to back off. All he could think about was kissing her.

Her eyes began to droop as he leaned in, her heart beating so wildly she was slightly amazed it hadn't broken free already. But she didn't care – she could feel his warm breath fanning across her lips.

His free hand came up, then, and gently cupped her jaw. His fingertips grazed the side of her throat and her hands came up, curling in the front of his shihakushou.

Their eyes closed at the same moment that their lips finally met, and for a moment the kiss was tentative as their lips pressed together.

Ichigo's hold on her tightened just a little as he pressed his lips against hers more firmly.

Orihime released a soft sound and leaned more into him as her hands released his shihakushou and slid up, slowly, until her arms were curved around his shoulders.

Their heads tilted slightly as their lips moved against each other, and Ichigo's hand slid from her shoulder, down her side, to her hip before his grip tightened once more. The fingertips of one of Orihime's hands danced along the hair at the nape of his neck, and the thumb of his other hand ran along the length of her throat.

Loud knocking from the front door shattered the moment as Ichigo's hand traced back up, heading for her hair.

They pulled apart immediately, faces flushing as they stared into each other's eyes, realizing what they had just done. Their hands lingered, unwilling to leave the other so soon, and neither knew quite what to say.

The knocking resumed, reminding them of what had pulled them back to reality, and Ichigo scowled. With a sigh he pulled his hands from her and grumbled, "I should get that…."

Orihime nodded, retracting her hands as well and saying, "Okay…. Um, if it's alright, I think I will take you up on your offer…f-for the bath, I mean."

His lips twitched and he nodded. "Of course," he said. He leaned back, then, and pushed to his feet. He paused to pick up his mostly-empty cup of tea, tossed a small smile in her direction, and stepped from the room to give hell to whoever was on the other side of his door.

* * *

><p><strong>Orihime stepped<strong> out of the bedroom a couple of minutes later, still significantly less than recovered from their kiss, now-empty cup of tea in her hand. She was slightly surprised to see that Ichigo was alone – she had convinced herself it had been Juushirou or one of his Third Seats at the door.

Ichigo looked up from the fabric he held in his hand when he heard her slide the door shut softly. He had been on his way back to her, having taken a minute to try to compose himself, though he suspected he'd failed spectacularly.

Curious, Orihime ignored the heat on her face as she asked, "Was it anything important?"

"Ah," Ichigo began, his eyes returning to the fabric he was holding. Then he looked back to her and said, "Not the way you mean. I forgot I requested an extra shihakushou for you when I woke up this morning…. I thought you might want to get out of yesterday's clothes."

As he spoke he held the clothing out for her, and Orihime realized it was, indeed, a neatly-folded shihakushou.

She smiled gratefully as she took the clothing with her free hand, and when Ichigo plucked her cup out of her hand she exclaimed, "Oh! I was going to-!"

Ichigo's lips over hers silenced her, but her eyes barely had time to close before he was pulling away again. Holding her gaze despite his own rising blush, Ichigo said quietly, "It's alright. Go ahead and clean up – everything you need should already be in there, but let me know if you need anything else. I'll wait for you out here."

Orihime pulled her lip between her teeth for a moment before she nodded and said, "Okay." She paused, then, as her eyes followed a small lock of hair that had fallen free from her bun and was hanging in front of her face. Her lips scrunched in resignation and she reached up with her now-freed hand and tugged the hair-tie loose.

Ichigo watched as her hair fell around her shoulders, cascading down her back freely. It was the first time he'd seen her with her hair down, and he immediately decided it was a sight he wanted to see again. She looked somehow more innocent and sweet with her face framed by her auburn locks, and he wanted to run his fingers through them desperately.

"Is there a garbage in your bathroom?" Orihime asked as she frowned at the fraying object in her hand.

"Uh, yeah," Ichigo replied, inwardly shaking himself out of his daze. "Why?"

Orihime looked back up at him, letting the simple band dangle from her fingertips as she said, "I think it's time to let this one go. Which means I'll have to leave my hair down until I get to my office…. But I keep extra ties in my drawer, so that won't be too bad."

"Why do you always put it up?" Ichigo asked before he could stop himself.

Orihime blinked, surprised by the question, and took a minute before she said, "Well, I…I just do." She shrugged and added, "I used to hate putting it up, but shortly before his retirement Captain Iemura told me that I looked too immature for a high-ranking position when I wore my hair loose. He said it was unprofessional."

Ichigo had never known Iemura, the man who, for a short while, had been Captain of Squad Four after Unohana's promotion, but all of a sudden he found he disliked him. He was sure such a statement would have hurt her feelings, even if now she seemed to be brushing it off. So, with a scowl, he said, "Sounds to me like Iemura was an idiot. You should wear your hair however you want to."

"You…don't think I look unprofessional, or too young, or something?" Orihime asked hesitantly as she watched him carefully for his reaction.

Reaching out with his free hand, Ichigo threaded his fingers through her hair loosely and said, "No. I like it."

Orihime smiled brightly, leaned up, and planted a quick kiss on his lips before she said, "I'll try to be quick!" And then she turned and started for his bathroom, a ridiculous smile curving her lips.

* * *

><p><strong>Soul Reapers<strong> were scattered about everywhere by the time Ichigo and Orihime arrived with a group of Squad Thirteen volunteers in tow. People were cleaning, and removing the objects that remained in the many burnt buildings, sorting them into piles with other salvageable or not-salvageable items.

Hanatarou greeted them before they reached Orihime's office, bowing briefly and saying, "Good morning, Captain! Good morning, Ichigo!" He paused, noticing the group behind them, and asked, "Oh, did you bring volunteers?"

"Yeah," Ichigo replied, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. "We rounded up some people who were willing to help with damage-control."

"That's great!" Hanatarou beamed.

Ichigo looked over his shoulder at his subordinates and said firmly, "Alright, listen up. Lieutenant Yamada's gonna tell you where you can help the most, got it?"

"Yes, sir!" they chorused, bowing formally as they spoke.

Returning his attention to Hanatarou, Ichigo said, "They're all yours."

Hanatarou nodded before turning his attention to Orihime. "Um, would you like us to begin cleaning out your quarters, Captain?"

Orihime's eyes dimmed and she shook her head, her still-loose hair exaggerating the motion as she said, "No, thank you, Hanatarou. The infirmaries are our main priority. I'll worry about my quarters after everything else is taken care of."

"Yes, Captain," Hanatarou replied. He turned his attention to the volunteers and called, "Okay, if you'd please follow me, there's plenty of work to do!"

Ichigo glanced at Orihime as his squad members disappeared down the hall, trailing after Hanatarou. "I understand why you'd prioritize like that, but this isn't a small project. Where are you going to _**live**_ until your house is restored?"

"I don't know," Orihime admitted softly. "But what we do is important – I can't justify restoring my living space before we've restored the spaces that are designated for our squad's entire purpose. So I'll just…figure something out, I suppose."

"Stay with us, then," Ichigo said. Orihime turned wide, surprised, eyes in his direction, and he continued calmly, "I'm sure Captain Ukitake won't mind you staying with us until you have a place to live again."

"But-"

His thumb landed, lightly, over her lips as he smiled at her and quietly added, "Plus, I'll get to have you nearby for a little while longer."

Her heart tripped. He may as well have taken the words straight from her thoughts, and she couldn't help but smile beneath his lingering thumb. She lifted one hand, covering his and pulling it over her cheek as she said, "If you're sure it'd be alright…I would like that."

Several seconds passed before they reluctantly pulled apart, both fully aware that they had a lot of things to get done that day.

* * *

><p><strong>Orihime lifted<strong> her head from her desktop when something that sounded suspiciously like a plate was set before her. And, indeed, the first thing she saw when she blinked her eyes open was a plate – a plate full of steaming, delicious, food. Only then did she realize she hadn't had anything more substantial than tea since the day before.

Ichigo's familiar, deep chuckle drew her attention from the plate of food, and as she dragged her eyes up, following the arm that had set the plate down until she found his eyes, he said, "You know, it's not healthy if you go all day without eating."

Her cheeks flushed even as she laughed self-consciously and said, "You're absolutely right! I can't believe I hadn't even thought about food…."

Ichigo dragged the spare chair over, placing it across from her, and settled before a matching plate of food. "Yeah, I thought you might be hungry."

She smiled, her eyes falling back to the food, and replied, "I am, thank you. I'm glad you got yourself something, too."

"I figured it makes more sense if we eat together," Ichigo said with a light shrug.

Orihime made a sound of agreement as she lifted her first bite of food to her lips, and the two fell into a comfortable silence as they focused on their late dinner.

It wasn't until her plate was more bare than not that Orihime paused, eyes still on her remaining food, and asked quietly, "In your opinion…how long do you think it'll be before the reconstruction is finished?"

Ichigo stilled for a moment, chopsticks poised, and lifted his eyes to her. She was still looking down, but even from his angle he could tell that her eyes were dimmed with resignation. He looked back at his own plate before finally saying, "It's impossible to say for sure, but…I'd imagine it'll be a few months, at least."

Orihime nodded, having expected an answer like that, and she nudged her food around a bit before asking, "Will you be tired of me constantly being around by then?"

His eyes snapped back to her and his voice was firm as he said, "No. I…care about you, Orihime, and that's not going to change." He paused, then, and his voice softened slightly before he added, "If anything…I'll miss having you so close, when your house is finally finished."

She looked up as his words washed over her, embarrassed by her moment of self-doubt, but wholly reassured by what he'd said. And the look in his eyes was all she needed to know he'd spoken the truth. A slow, genuine smile lit up her face and she said softly, "If it's any consolation, I know I'll miss being so close to you, too."

He returned her smile with one of his own. It was another minute before he asked, "How's your dinner?"

"It's delicious, thank you," Orihime replied with a soft laugh.

Ichigo disappeared into the kitchen with his empty dinner plate a minute later, and Orihime joined him soon after. He turned as she walked up and plucked the dish from her hands before returning his attention to the sink.

As he rinsed the plates Orihime moved to his side and asked, "So what do I owe you for my dinner?"

"Nothing," Ichigo replied easily as he shut off the water.

Orihime pouted. "You shouldn't have to pay for it!"

"It was my idea," Ichigo argued, turning to face her. "I didn't even run it by you first."

"But it was my own fault for forgetting to eat," Orihime countered stubbornly.

Ichigo paused, fighting back the smirk that wanted to curve his lips as he finally asked, "You want to repay me that badly?"

"Yes," Orihime replied immediately with a small nod.

"Alright," Ichigo said with a shrug. He stepped up to her, then, and his smirk finally slipped free as he lifted his hands and framed her face gently. She sucked in a breath as soon as his skin touched hers, and his hands slid back until his fingers were tangled in her loose hair as he leaned in.

His lips found hers hungrily, and she was immediately leaning into the kiss.

Her hands curled again into the fabric of his shihakushou, and she moaned against him when his tongue slipped free and trailed along her lips. She parted them an instant later, and her arms curled around his shoulders as their tongues danced for the first time.

His arms slid down her sides before curving around her waist and pulling her tight against him.

He groaned against her lips as her fingernails scraped against his scalp, and he angled his head a bit more to the side in an effort to deepen the kiss. He had kissed other women before, it was true, but never had a kiss set his blood on fire the way this one had. All he wanted now was to lock the door and spend the rest of the night in her arms.

Orihime felt her knees give out as his tongue swept over hers once more, but he was already holding her so tightly that it took her a moment to realize she hadn't collapsed. She tightened her hold on him in return, losing her fingers in his hair as one of his hands splayed over her back.

Ichigo reluctantly pulled back when he felt his control beginning to slip. It was too soon in their relationship for that sort of intimacy and he knew it. Still, when he pulled away, he kept his hands firmly over her hips and he met her hooded gaze with a soft smile. "Consider your share paid in full," he whispered with a faint laugh.

Orihime's body shook with silent laughter as her lips curved and she replied, "If you say so." Her hands remained on his shoulders lightly, index fingers absently running along the edge of his uniform.

She smiled up at him, lower lip pulled between her teeth, and Ichigo leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers.

They stared into each other's eyes silently for a long moment before Ichigo finally asked, voice low, "Are you ready to call it a day?"

"I am kind of tired," Orihime admitted. "And since we just have to do it all over again tomorrow, probably it would be a good idea to try and get a little rest."

"That's what I was thinking," Ichigo said.

After several more seconds of comfortable silence, Ichigo finally pulled back properly and, capturing one of her hands in one of his, said, "C'mon; we can pick this up first thing in the morning."

Orihime allowed him to tug her lightly toward the office door, a content smile on her face. Something about their newfound relationship was just so _**easy**_ that it almost scared her, but she loved it.

For so long she had felt as if she'd been missing something in her life and now, with his hand wrapped securely around hers and her lips still tingling from their kiss, she was beginning to think that she'd finally found it.

_**To Be Continued…**_

_**A/N:**_ I have no idea why, but the last part of this chapter was _**incredibly**_ hard to write! :/ Still, hopefully it worked for you! Please let me know what you're thinking – of this chapter, of the whole story, or both! And then, y'know, go read more!


	12. Lovers Redux

_**A/N:**_ We're heading towards the end of the story, folks! No, this isn't the last chapter, but it is one of the last few. I hope you've enjoyed it so far, and I hope you continue to enjoy the rest! So, without further ado, I present: chapter twelve!

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to someone who is not me. The Original Characters you haven't seen in a while now _**do**_ belong to me.

**Second Chance**

**Chapter Twelve: Lovers Redux**

** The heat** from the water seeped into her muscles even as Orihime was settling into the freshly-drawn bath, and she couldn't help but moan softly. It had been yet another long day of renovation and, like every day lately, she felt like she was covered in dirt by the time the sun had finally set. _But at least we're making good progress,_ she told herself as she thought over everything they'd accomplished in the past month.

It had been exactly a month since reconstruction had begun, and fortunately – thanks in large part to the number of volunteers they'd had – the infirmaries were finally near completion. She estimated they had another couple of weeks before they would be properly up and running. And once they accomplished that, Orihime would have to start all over – this time on her home.

She had gone through her destroyed home on the first day of reconstruction, and had managed to find a handful of salvageable items, but she hadn't so much as stepped inside since. Her home was smaller than the buildings that they were working on currently, but she was still looking at a good month's worth of work before it would be a space safe to live in.

And, on top of all of that, today was also a very different anniversary. Exactly one month ago she and Ichigo had shared their first kiss, and it had proven to be the beginning of a relationship Orihime could only have dreamt of.

With a smile on her face, Orihime took a breath and submerged herself in order to scrub at her hair. Since that morning she had woken up in Ichigo's room, she had all but stopped wearing it up. She still preferred to have her hair loose around her, and knowing that Ichigo liked it was the only deciding reason she needed.

She came up for air, still smiling, and let her arms land on the sides of the tub as she leaned her head back. The water felt fabulous, and though she had dinner plans that she needed to be preparing for, it wouldn't hurt to allow herself a couple of minutes of relaxation.

* * *

><p><strong>She jerked<strong> awake at the sound of rapid pounding and Ichigo's voice calling her name in a panic. The motion caused her to slip, and she found herself beneath the surface of the cooled water. She pushed herself up, coughing and gasping and thoroughly embarrassed. _How could I have fallen asleep?_

"Orihime!" Ichigo called again, his voice clearer and closer, indicating that he'd let himself into the main room.

Voice still raspy from the water she'd choked on, Orihime called back, "I'm in here, I'm sorry!" She had to pause to cough before she added, "I'll be out in a minute!"

His voice was closer as his spiritual pressure settled on the other side of the door. The softest of thuds told her he had most likely let his head fall against the barrier that separated them. "Are you alright?"

Orihime took a minute to clear her throat as she climbed out of the large tub before she replied, "Yes. I'm so sorry, the water was so relaxing, I sort of fell asleep…."

"You fell asleep in the bath?" Ichigo asked, sounding slightly incredulous.

She slipped her arms through the sleeves of her robe before tying it tight around her waist. It had been her intention to be ready to go before he arrived, and so the kimono she'd planned to wear was resting across her futon in the bedroom. As she secured the robe, she shamefully admitted, "Yes…I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make us late!"

"Just get out here before I go in there," Ichigo replied impatiently. They both knew he was more than capable of going through with his threat.

A moment later Orihime slid the door open, lower lip between her teeth as she offered him an apologetic, embarrassed smile.

Ichigo released a heavy breath as the last lines of worry eased off of his face, and he reached out, pulling her into a tight embrace. Arms wrapped around her and lips beside her ear, he murmured, "Please, Hime, never scare me like that again."

Orihime curled her arms around his shoulders as she was hit by two very differing sensations. She felt horrendously guilty, and yet her heart fluttered at the tone of genuine concern in his voice. "I really am sorry," she said softly. "I didn't make us too late, did I?"

Angling his head just slightly, Ichigo placed a light kiss beneath her ear before he murmured, "We were supposed to be there almost half an hour ago."

She tucked her head into the crook of his neck and, lips brushing against his throat, said, "Oh, I can't believe I did that…I'm sorry, Ichigo."

"I'm not mad," Ichigo assured her, rubbing her back with one hand while the other remained stationary at the small of her back. "I was just worried."

"But," Orihime began, pulling back enough to look into his eyes as she pouted guiltily. "We missed our reservations. What will we do about dinner now?"

"We'll eat in," Ichigo decided. He lifted one hand to cup the side of her face and, tracing his thumb along her cheek, he added, "What matters is that we eat together."

Orihime smiled and said, "That sounds good to me." She paused, then, and her fingers danced absently along his collar before she mumbled, "Does this mean you can forgive me?"

Ichigo leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers for a lingering moment before he pulled back and whispered, "There's nothing to forgive, Hime."

Her arms curled once more around his shoulders as she replied, "Well, I'm sorry I worried you."

"You always worry me," Ichigo replied with a faint smirk. "But you can make it up to me."

Orihime laughed softly and leaned up enough to press her lips against his once more. Her arms tightened around his shoulders and his raised arm returned to her back, trailing down her spine slowly as his tongue slipped past her parted lips. She tangled her fingers in his hair, her nails scraping his scalp unintentionally as she pulled herself closer to him.

His tongue slid over hers deliberately, causing them both to groan faintly. He used his thumb to apply just a little bit of pressure to a previously-discovered sensitive spot beside her spine, and her resulting moan vibrated against his lips as her body arched into his. He only barely resisted the impulse to roll his hips into hers in response.

When her simple robe began feeling far too heavy and confining Orihime reluctantly pulled away from his kiss. Her eyes fluttered open when their lips were barely separated and, as they each attempted to collect their breathing, she smiled at him.

He grinned back at her and lifted his head enough to press a kiss to her forehead. She tucked herself easily beneath his jaw, and he didn't even try to stop the smile that overtook his face. It was moments like this – when she was curled into him, completely relaxed in his arms – that he had the most trouble keeping his mouth shut. Because, really, it would be _**so**_ easy to let those words slip past his lips.

And the truth was he wanted to say them. He wanted to tell her so badly that, sometimes, he caught himself opening his mouth to do just that. But they had only been together a month, and while he'd felt that way right from the beginning, didn't most people take longer to develop those kinds of feelings? The last thing he wanted to do was chase her away.

"Ichigo?" Orihime asked softly without lifting her head.

"Hmm?"

With one finger absently running along the length of his throat, she asked, "What are you in the mood for?"

_You,_ his traitorous mind supplied. Fortunately, he caught the inappropriate response and chose to go with an answer that actually applied to her question. "I'm not feeling picky. You want me to help?" Of course he knew the answer to this already – she never let him help with the cooking – but he still had to ask.

"Nope," Orihime replied. "It's my fault we missed our reservations, so I will make dinner. Right after I change…."

Ichigo grinned, shifting so that he could press his lips to her temple before teasingly replying, "I don't think there's anything wrong with what you're wearing."

Orihime laughed against him and gave his chest a light shove before she lifted her head to look into his eyes and said, "That's only because you, unfortunately, have a male sense of fashion. This is absolutely inappropriate attire for preparing – or enjoying – a romantic dinner."

He fought with the chuckle that vibrated up from his chest as he replied, "Whatever you say."

With a laughing smile Orihime pressed another, chaste, kiss to his lips before pulling back and saying, "Go make yourself comfy, I'll get dressed really quick and then start working on dinner!"

She slipped from his arms and disappeared into the bedroom before he could comment. Although, he decided, that might have been better, anyway.

* * *

><p><strong>"No, no,<strong> I need that cabinet over there, please," Orihime instructed, pointing as she spoke to better guide the men who were moving the large piece of furniture.

As the men changed direction, a female voice called out to her from the side. "We're back with the linens you requested, Captain Inoue."

Orihime turned her attention to the trio of Soul Reapers who were walking up, arms full of bags from the market. "Oh, great! If you don't mind, go ahead and set them down in my office for now. We probably won't get to them until tomorrow or the next day."

"Yes, ma'am," the woman who'd spoken earlier replied, bowing briefly before she – and the other two – turned to do as instructed.

"Is this right, Captain?" one of the men called a heartbeat later.

Orihime looked back, to see that they had set the cabinet down in the area she had indicated. She paused a moment, lips scrunched, before she asked, "Could you shift it a little closer to the window, please?"

"Alright," the first man said with a nod.

She watched the movers silently, her gaze briefly flickering around to take in what the others were doing as well.

They had gotten a lot done in the past week, and she was beginning to feel excited. In a couple more days, at this rate, the infirmaries would be open and ready for business. And then they could finally take down the large tent that they'd had to set up in the main courtyard.

The cabinet was finally in the perfect spot, and Orihime called, "Right there! Yes, that's perfect, thank you!"

"I see you started without me," Ichigo teased as he stepped up beside her.

Orihime turned a sweet smile on him and said, "I wasn't aware that I was supposed to wait for you."

Ichigo smirked and shook his head faintly. "I'm pretty sure I mentioned it. So, what needs to be moved in next?"

She was still laughing softly as she turned her gaze outward once more, re-confirming what she had determined mere minutes ago. With a subconscious nod, she said, "I think we're ready to bring in the bed frames. In fact, we should be ready to bring them into both infirmaries, but I'll have to double-check with Hanatarou on that."

Ichigo inclined his head. "Alright, then. I'll go give the movers a hand."

Orihime watched him walk calmly out of the large room with a small smile permanently etched onto her face. _He's too perfect for my own good._

She was still smiling when she realized that two other familiar faces were in her direct line of sight. Cheeks immediately flushing, her smile shifted and she exclaimed, "Rukia! Renji! What brings you by?"

Rukia offered her a knowing, slightly mischievous, smile and jerked her thumb up at Renji as she replied, "We heard you were doing a bit of heavy-lifting today, so I thought I'd volunteer my overly-muscled husband."

"Ha," Renji cut in with a smirk and a laugh. "'Overly-muscled' my ass."

Orihime shifted her gaze to Renji as she asked, "Are you sure?"

His next scoff was directed at her as he replied, "Yeah, of course. Hell, we owe you a lot more than this anyway. Just let me know where you need me."

"What about your squad?" Orihime hesitated.

Renji shrugged. "Rikichi can handle it for one afternoon."

Her smile returned and Orihime nodded. "Well, if you're sure, we're bringing in bed frames next. You should find Ichigo out there with the others, too."

"Yeah," Rukia said, "we passed him in the hall." She cut her eyes up to the man beside her and added, "What are you waiting for?"

Rolling his eyes, Renji lifted one hand in a lazy wave as he turned and said, "Alright, alright, I'm going."

The women were quiet until Renji had disappeared from sight, and then Rukia turned her attention back to Orihime. "Okay, spill. How're things with you and Ichigo?"

Orihime's face turned nearly crimson and she looked away, keeping her mouth tightly shut until she was sure she wouldn't stutter. Only then did she reply, voice hushed, "We're really good."

"Define 'really good'," Rukia instructed firmly, all the while doing her best to ignore the blatant déjà vu.

A contented smile curved her lips and Orihime said, "He's amazing. He's always there when I need something, even if it's ridiculous, and he always manages to make me feel better if I'm upset. Truthfully, I'm terrified of how much I'll miss him when I move back here."

Rukia smiled knowingly, even nodding as she replied, "I always suspected he'd suddenly grow up if he found the right person." She paused before she added, "But if I know Ichigo _**half**_ as well as I think I do, I wouldn't worry too much about that fear. I'm sure he'll do everything in his power to make it so you don't notice the difference."

It was an easy bit of advice for her to offer, as Rukia could easily recall the day she'd learned that Ichigo had moved to Tokyo for college. She knew it had never been in his plans, but then she heard that Orihime had received a scholarship she couldn't turn down, and it had all made sense.

"I'm sure you're right," Orihime said, unknowingly dragging Rukia out of her memories before they could get depressing. Her eyes were distant, and thoughtful, as her voice trailed off.

One eyebrow arching curiously, Rukia asked, "There's something else on your mind, isn't there?"

Orihime took a deep breath and pulled her lower lip between her teeth for a long moment.

The first couple of Soul Reapers, awkwardly carrying pieces of a bed frame, entered the room, and Orihime took a minute to tell them where to set up.

When she was done directing them, her voice lowered in order to not be overheard, and she asked, "How do you know…when it's a good time to tell him?"

Rukia's smile returned, gentle and understanding, and she replied, "There's no standard to go by. But, as cliché as it sounds, when it feels right, it probably is. Don't try waiting for some important date, or the perfect setting, or any of that."

She paused and waited until Orihime was looking at her, holding her gaze solidly and willing understanding into the younger woman before saying carefully, "Trust me when I say that time is precious. I've had too many friends who lost their chance before their love had really even gotten off the ground. It's impossible to know when your time is up, and all you can do is make sure you live your life with as few regrets as possible. So if you love him, then the best time to tell him is _**soon**_."

Orihime took a deep breath and nodded. She may not have lived through the things Rukia had, but she – along with everyone else – knew that the smaller woman had been through a lot, and lost some good friends along the way. She would never take Rukia's advice lightly. So she smiled and said, "Thank you, Rukia. I'll remember that."

Rukia's smile became a grin, and she nodded. "Good."

Before she could add anything else, a familiar, cursing, voice carried in through the entryway and the women turned to see two redheads carrying in partially-set-up bed frames. It was Renji whose cursing had drawn their attention.

Ichigo was scowling at the taller man, who was slightly ahead of him, and saying, "Dammit, Renji, if you break that frame I'll kick your ass, you hear me?"

"Don't get your shihakushou in a twist, you idiot," Renji returned, rolling his eyes. "It's not gonna break that easy!"

"Well try not to go around testing that theory!" Ichigo snapped irritably.

Rukia and Orihime exchanged glances out of the corners of their eyes, laughing silently.

* * *

><p><strong>"Soon, soon,<strong> soon," Orihime repeated under her breath as she paced in her borrowed sitting room. Rukia's words from earlier that day were ringing through her head on endless repeat, and she knew it meant that she should really work up the nerve to tell him. But the idea of saying _**those words**_ was rather frightening.

Of course, so was the idea of losing him.

Orihime took a deep breath, stopped her pacing, let her eyes close, and repeated once more, "Soon."

An amused, curious, male voice asked from behind her, "'Soon' what?"

With a gasp, Orihime's eyes shot open and she spun around. Her eyes landed easily on the familiar form of her boyfriend, leaning casually against the doorway. "Ichigo!" She could feel her cheeks heating up already.

Chuckling faintly, Ichigo pushed off of the wall and slid the door shut behind him as he said, "You _**did**_ ask me to come over after I was done talking to Captain Ukitake, remember?"

"Yes!" Orihime replied quickly, still overly embarrassed from being caught in such a state. She laughed self-consciously, fingers fiddling with the fabric at her sides, and added, "I hadn't forgotten, I was just…um, thinking?"

Ichigo was still grinning with amusement as he stepped up to her and planted his hands on her hips, pulling her in for a lingering kiss before he said, "And what is it you think you were thinking about?"

Orihime let out a long breath, her flush fading as her body automatically relaxed at his touch. Finally, she lifted a smile to his eyes and said, "There's something important I need to tell you, and I should really say it before I chicken out…but we should sit first."

Ichigo allowed her to lead him to the sofa, his hand loosely wrapped around hers, as he wondered what this 'important' thing could be. She seemed nervous, yes, but she had kissed him back, so he doubted it was bad news. But, all the same, he couldn't think of many things that she would be anxious about bringing up.

They settled on the couch and Orihime looked back at him, taking another moment to steady her racing heartbeat and remind herself that she was doing the right thing. He deserved to know, and, more importantly, she _**needed**_ him to know. She could only pray that he cared enough not to be scared off when she said it.

But he was giving her a slightly confused, curious look, so she supposed she should start talking.

"Ichigo," she began, stalling just a bit more. She convulsively tightened her grip on his hand just a little, her thumb running across his knuckles. "I'm sorry if this is too sudden, but I want you to know…. I'm completely in love with you. And it's okay if you don't-"

Ichigo lifted his free hand and pressed his thumb to her lips, silencing her immediately.

He couldn't believe she'd said it, and he couldn't decide if he was more surprised that she felt that way, or that she'd been the one to say the words first. Either way, he was all too happy to finally be able to say it back.

His lips curving into a gentle smile, he let his hand move to the side of her face as he said, "I love you, too, Orihime."

Her nerves vanished in an instant, and Orihime smiled brightly. She didn't know what to say, or even if anything needed to be said, and she supposed it would probably be a little silly to say 'I love you' again. So instead she pulled her hand from his and leaned forward, framing his face with her hands and planting her lips firmly over his.

Ichigo shifted in order to comfortably wrap his arms around her as they kissed, and one of his hands lifted to tangle in her loose hair as he supported the back of her head. She tasted, like always, sinfully sweet, and the moment their lips met he felt a familiar hunger rumble inside of him.

She rarely took charge of their kisses, but he found he always enjoyed when she did, and this was proving to be no exception.

Her tongue moved, slowly, across his mouth as if it were the first time she had ever been privileged enough to explore there – and perhaps it might be the last time, as well. Every shift, and lingering touch, was sending a whole new wave of scorching heat through him, and he couldn't get enough.

Their tongues met and slid along the other sensuously, rolling together and pulling back before coming together again. He groaned against her lips when she repeated the motion and his grip on her tightened subconsciously. The adjustment pulled her practically into his lap, but neither cared.

Orihime's fingers finally plunged into his hair as the hand on her hip tightened and pulled her closer. Yes, she loved him more than anything, and yes, they'd been together for the better part of a month and a half, but they had never been intimate. She had always felt that the timing just wasn't right, and she suspected he felt much the same, as he'd never tried to take it that far.

But tonight was different, and she was sure he was in agreement. He was certainly kissing her with a little more hunger than usual, and his touch was a little heavier, practically burning through her shihakushou. And, for her part, she was kissing him with a fire she hadn't felt before, either. If she had it her way, they wouldn't part – not for anything – before sunrise.

They could make it to the bedroom without actually parting, couldn't they?

One of her hands relinquished his hair in order to slide down his jaw and throat slowly, fingers trailing over his exposed skin before slipping beneath the folds of his uniform.

Ichigo released a strangled half-grunt, half-groan when her hand dipped beneath his clothing. She had never been that bold before, and though he'd spent a healthy amount of time fantasizing about what it would feel like when she did, he had somehow underestimated the sensation. Her fingers were only barely beneath the shoulder of his shihakushou, and yet his whole body burned with her touch.

"Captain Inoue!" someone called from the other side of the door.

They pulled apart immediately in surprise, heads turning toward the door with curious confusion. Already Ichigo found he wanted to strangle the poor guy, whose name and face he didn't even know.

Still attempting to catch her breath, Orihime swallowed and called, "Yes?"

The unfamiliar voice immediately continued. "I'm so sorry to bother you at this hour, Captain! The Third Seat of Squad Eleven is badly injured, ma'am! Is there anything you can do to help?"

Ichigo groaned in frustration, his head falling back against the couch. _That idiot's gonna be a lot more injured if I get my hands on him,_ he grunted silently.

Orihime stifled a groan of her own as she reluctantly disentangled herself from Ichigo. Now was not the time to be frustrated – she had a job to do. "Yes, of course; I'll be out in a minute!" she hollered to the man in the hall.

As she pushed to her feet she noticed Ichigo doing the same and said, "You don't have to come if you don't want to."

Ichigo gave her a pointed look as he followed her to the door (and their resting zanpakutous) and said, "I'm just gonna pretend I didn't hear that."

Orihime sent a laughing smile in his direction as she slipped Shun Rikka through the loop at her hip, before she reached out and slid the door open to reveal an unknown Soul Reaper who was still bowing formally, fists on the floor and head down. "Alright, lead the way."

The Soul Reaper stood, inclined his head to them both, and turned to run down the hall.

Orihime and Ichigo followed suit silently.

_**To Be Continued…**_

_**A/N:**_ Heehee, aren't I mean? I know you probably all hate me for that one, but hopefully it's a temporary kind of hate? I mean, you know, chances are I'll make it up to you pretty soon…(yes, I've resorted to bribery LOL). Anyway, please let me know your thoughts on this chapter! And then, well…if you're just a little patient, I promise thirteen will be here before you know it!


	13. It Takes Two

_**A/N:**_ Look, your patience has been rewarded! Chapter thirteen is now here! (Honestly, I'm amazed…I really didn't think it would be this long…). But, I digress! So, anyway, the good news is: the story is reaching its climax! The bad news is: the next chapter is _**probably **_going to be the final one. I say 'probably' because I don't like to presume I know what's going to happen in my stories…. LOL Alright, well, please enjoy this chapter!

**Disclaimer:** Nothing has changed since the last time…or any of the times before that, for that matter…which means that, no, Bleach is not mine.

**Second Chance**

**Chapter Thirteen: It Takes Two**

** Ichigo looked** around at the gathered Soul Reapers and decided that, while they didn't have the numbers, they certainly had the power. _And with a little luck, that'll translate to 'skill',_ he hoped.

"So," Ikkaku began carefully, "let me get this straight: you wanna completely rebuild your girlfriend's house _**without**_ telling her?"

Ichigo tried not to grind his teeth as he replied, "That's the basic idea behind a 'surprise', yeah."

Renji smirked and crossed his arms. "You are _**so**_ whipped."

Rukia glared up at him and stomped on his nearest foot pointedly, earning a sharp yelp from the larger Soul Reaper. Then she turned a smile to Ichigo and said, "We're in."

"That goes double for us!" Rangiku declared, throwing an arm around both Toushirou and Nanao.

With a laughing smile, Shunsui announced, "If Nanao's participating, then you know I'm game."

"Yeah," Ikkaku said with a shrug, "alright." Beside him, Yumichika nodded silently.

"You can count on us," Shuuhei promised with a nod. Izuru nodded as well, but said nothing.

Rounds of agreement continued, including Byakuya, Isane, Juushirou, Kiyone, Sentarou, Tetsuzaemon, and Hiryu.

Ichigo hadn't bothered to invite either Kurotsuchi, and both Choujirou and Soi Fon declined their invitations. Hanatarou and Unohana were in on the idea as well, but both were going to spend most of their involvement making sure Orihime remained unaware. It would, after all, be a difficult task to accomplish.

With everyone on board, Ichigo got right to business. They had to move quickly if they were going to manage it, but he had confidence that they could get it done. He was sure that most of them would turn the rebuilding into some sort of ridiculous competition, but he figured that would probably encourage them to work faster – he could only hope it also meant that they'd work _**better**_.

* * *

><p><strong>Orihime slumped<strong> against Ichigo's shoulder later that night as they sat on his couch. She had spent so much of her day helping Unohana do some last-minute touch-ups in the repairs at Squad One that it had put her own repairs back nearly a full day. Not to mention she had worked herself nearly into a state of exhaustion.

Ichigo wrapped his arm tightly around her, holding her close, and rumbled, "You should probably try not to stay up too late, Hime. You're exhausted."

"I know," Orihime said on a sigh. This was not how she'd wanted her night to go. Not after the way the night before had been interrupted.

He was glad she couldn't see his grin as he leaned forward enough to drop a kiss on the crown of her head and whispered, "You can stay the night if you want."

Orihime's eyes were already mostly closed as she asked, "Do you have to be up early?"

"Yeah," Ichigo replied. "And I'll probably be busy most of the day, too."

"That's okay," Orihime replied, her voice quieter than it had been a moment ago. "I have to be up early, too. And I _**know**_ I'll be busy."

Ichigo shifted, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, and turning to slip his other beneath her knees. He stood, then, and pulled her easily into his arms. He felt a bit guilty when her only protest was a sleepy moan, which was immediately followed by her shifting to snuggle into him.

He was pretty sure she fell asleep before he made it to his bedroom.

Still, he was careful to jostle her as little as possible when he set her down, and he was incredibly grateful that she'd already removed her haori. Once she was tucked beneath the comforter he stepped out of the room in order to change.

As he prepared to head back inside the bedroom, he could only hope that no-late night messengers decided to drop in on them.

* * *

><p><strong>"I hear<strong> rumor you finally finished renovations today," Ichigo said with an honest smile as he and Orihime sat down for dinner.

Orihime beamed at him from across the table, looking significantly less drained than she had the night before. "We did! We had so many little things to get done today, but it was all worth it. The infirmaries will be open first thing tomorrow, and we can take down those horrendous tents in the main courtyard."

"That's great," he said. With a faint chuckle, he added, "I know you hated those things."

She scrunched up her nose and nodded, pausing to swallow a mouthful of noodles before she said, "Oh, I did. I know I shouldn't hate them, they're just objects, and they were helpful when we didn't have any other options, but they just _**bothered **_me. Is that silly?"

"Not really," Ichigo replied easily. "I think everyone has things like that."

She smiled, and he returned the gesture silently. After a moment they both returned their attention to their dinners, having worked up quite the appetite during the day.

It was several minutes before Orihime resumed their conversation, asking, "So how was your day? I hope nothing too frustrating came up."

Ichigo took a moment to wash down his dinner before he replied, "It was decent. I had a lot of errands to run, and Kiyone and Sentarou needed help with some things, but it all went well."

"That's good," Orihime said with another smile.

Silence resumed for a minute before Ichigo asked, "You're not planning to jump right into renovating your house, are you?"

Orihime nodded around a mouthful of noodles. Once she'd swallowed, she said, "Yes. It's just collecting dust right now anyway."

Ichigo scowled, not actually at all surprised with her answer, and argued, "So let it collect dust for a couple more days. You've worked hard on those infirmaries, you should take a break; give yourself time to appreciate what you've accomplished. It's not like you're homeless."

She hesitated, clearly weighing his words against her original intentions.

At length, she said, "That does sound kind of tempting…but I hate to impose anymore than I already have."

His scowl was genuine this time as he held her gaze firmly. "Orihime, listen to me very carefully: you are _**not**_ imposing on anyone. Captain Ukitake has no problems with you staying here, and I should hope by now you know you're not bothering me."

Orihime laughed faintly, looking down at her now-empty plate and mumbling, "Have I mentioned that every now and then I get incredibly self-conscious? I'm sorry, I know you don't mind me being around, and I don't mean to imply that I'm uncomfortable or anything."

Ichigo set down his chopsticks and pushed to his feet, moving around the table until he was standing beside her. Silently, he held out one hand and waited.

She looked up at him, hesitating only due to her confusion, and placed her hand in his.

He tugged her to her feet easily, pulling her all the way into his chest and then wrapping both arms securely around her waist. When his lips were only a hair's breadth from hers, he murmured, "We're gonna have to work on breaking that habit. You don't have anything to be self-conscious _**about**_, Hime. Trust me on that."

He leaned in and captured her lips in a hard, deep kiss before she could reply. She returned the kiss immediately, her arms lifting to curl around his shoulders as he plundered her mouth.

And then he pulled away, breathing deeply and locking his eyes onto hers once more.

She smiled and, still regaining her breath, said, "You're a hard man to argue with…when you put it like that."

He smirked and pressed a light, lingering kiss to her lips before whispering, "Good."

"I think I'm done with my dinner," Orihime breathed, her lips brushing teasingly over his.

Ichigo's only response was to pull her into another sensual kiss. He tugged her body flush against his as he angled his head to deepen the kiss, lifting one hand to tangle it in her hair.

Orihime returned his kiss eagerly as she melted in his arms. She felt like she had been yearning for him – for this kiss, this promise – all her life.

"Orihime," Ichigo groaned as he dragged his lips from hers. She opened her eyes and blinked up at him, and he knew he wouldn't be able to stop himself this time. He doubted she wanted him to, anyway. Swallowing heavily, he adjusted his hold on her and swept her into his arms without saying a word.

She squeaked in surprise and then let her head fall onto his shoulder, laughing softly, as he turned and walked out of the kitchen. Her fingers danced lightly along the nape of his neck, dipping beneath his collar and lifting to comb through his hair at random intervals.

She barely noticed when they passed the threshold to the bedroom, at least until he looked down at her and said quietly, "I love you, Hime."

A sweet smile curved her lips and she moved one hand to trail along his jaw as she softly replied, "I love you, too, Ichigo."

Ichigo set her down on the futon a moment later, immediately shifting to settle beside her and letting one hand land on her hip.

Their eyes met, and for a moment, neither moved.

Orihime gave in first, rolling towards him and curling her hands into the loose collar of his shihakushou in order to pull him to her. Their lips met, and the kiss was tender and loving for a moment, before the heat returned to their blood.

Her hands shifted, releasing the fabric in favor of slipping beneath it and running along his smooth, muscular chest. One of his arms moved beneath her, his hand coming up to support the back of her head as he leaned forward. His other arm curved over her waist, holding her firmly in place as he devoured her lips.

Then Orihime's hands slid up, onto his shoulders, and she shoved at the fabric covering them.

Ichigo reluctantly pulled away from her lips, releasing her altogether in order to yank the top of his uniform free and toss it aside. He would have contented himself with stopping there – at least for the moment – but Orihime had taken the opportunity to sit up and begin untying her own shihakushou.

He could do nothing but stare as the uniform slid from her shoulders, slowly revealing more and more of her smooth, pale skin.

Orihime looked up, trying not to blush (she was a grown woman, and they knew what they were getting themselves into), when she noticed that Ichigo had stopped moving. She realized quickly that his gaze was fixated on her shihakushou as she removed it, and a strange urge struck her. Unsure of what had come over her, Orihime shifted until she was kneeling, and slowly, deliberately, pulled the top off. She let it fall at her feet, pooling around her calves, as she watched his face.

It was a long minute before Ichigo was able to drag his eyes up to hers, even though he knew she was watching his reaction. He had thought he was prepared for this, but already he was coming to realize that _**nothing **_could prepare him for her. She was more beautiful than he had dared imagine, and he couldn't even fathom what it might be like to run his hands, lips, or tongue along all of that freshly-exposed skin. But he desperately wanted to find out.

Swallowing again, he finally looked into her eyes, only to find her smiling at him with a strangely mischievous curve to her lips. So he decided to see if he couldn't torture her just a little bit, too.

He smirked and pushed to his feet, watching as her eyes went wide and her confident, mischievous look vanished when she realized what he was doing. His hands went immediately to the knot at the front of his uniform and he easily tugged it loose. But instead of quickly kicking the fabric aside, he opted to hook his thumbs into the sides – gathering all of the fabric around his hips – and shove it down just enough that, when he let go, it would all pool at his feet.

It was her turn to find herself staring in awe, swallowing heavily and blushing despite all of her best efforts. Her eyes only barely pretended to follow the fabric once it was past his hips.

His patience was quickly disappearing as he watched her lick her lips for the third time.

He was still standing, and she was still kneeling, and there was barely a foot between them, and he was coming to realize that he hadn't thought this plan entirely through. All sorts of private, delicious, probably inappropriate, thoughts were beginning to swarm his mind. And if she kept staring _**like**_ _**that**_ he didn't know how he'd talk himself out of any of them.

With an embarrassed grunt, Ichigo reached down, grasped her upper-arm, and tugged her effortlessly to her feet. The motion yanked her eyes back to his and caused her face to nearly go crimson, and as endearing as it was, he needed to distract himself. So he let his fingers skim down her bare sides, both of them biting back small moans from the new contact, until he'd found fabric again. He hooked his fingers beneath the hem of her pants, making sure that his knuckles were brushing against soft, tender flesh, and tugged.

This time, when her clothing hit the ground, his eyes held hers firmly. Yes, she was gorgeous, and yes, he intended to memorize every inch of her, but he didn't want her to have any cause to think that this attraction was purely physical. So, after the faint rumpling of falling fabric had stopped, Ichigo planted his hands over her exposed hips and pulled her in for a long, deep kiss.

Orihime couldn't describe the sensations coursing through her. Her skin was on fire from everywhere his hands had touched, and she knew she ought to be embarrassed about standing there, completely nude, on a borrowed futon, but she wasn't. And desire wasn't the only feeling building up inside of her. But that certainly didn't mean that she didn't want him – badly.

Ichigo pulled his lips from hers and began trailing hot kisses along her jaw and down, over the column of her throat. Her head tilted back automatically, and she released a sound that went straight through him when his lips found her pulse-point. He sucked on the delicate skin lightly and her hands fisted in his hair, her back arching and causing her breasts to push more firmly into his chest.

Removing one hand from her hip, Ichigo skimmed his fingers up along her toned stomach before lightly dancing them across the underside of one of her breasts. She sucked in a sharp breath, unintentionally tugging on his hair, and he took that as a good sign. Wrapping his other arm around her waist, he curled his hand around her breast and gently kneaded the soft flesh.

The moan that greeted his ears made him squeeze his eyes shut and drag in a heavy breath to keep his control.

Planting a light kiss along her collar bone, Ichigo made up his mind and slowly loosened his hold on her waist. He ran his thumb across her nipple as he deliberately lowered himself, planting more light, lingering kisses over her skin. When his lips were low enough, he shifted his raised arm to her side to help support her before closing his lips around her breast.

Orihime's grip had been shifting, as necessary, toward his shoulders, and when he sucked on her breast she threw her head back and dug her nails into his shoulders. She couldn't believe the delicious sensations he was bringing to her. His tongue swept sensuously over her nipple and she sucked in a breath, which was immediately released in a throaty moan when he followed the same path with his teeth.

After lingering over her breast for a short while, wringing forth all sorts of sounds from her that he knew he'd be dreaming about for decades, Ichigo pulled his lips back and continued moving lower. He trailed more wet kisses across her stomach, pausing to dance his tongue around her bellybutton, before he settled in front of his goal. His hands slid down her back until he was holding her hips once more, and he stole a glance up at her face as they stilled.

She was suddenly very aware of his plan, and as embarrassed as she wanted to be, she couldn't deny that she was eager to continue. With everything that he had already made her feel, she could only imagine how much more was to come. And she was trapped in his stare as he watched her.

He kept his eyes on her face as he leaned forward and pressed his lips to the curls at the apex of her thighs. Her hands tightened immediately over his shoulders and a startled, half-swallowed moan slipped past her lips as her eyes fluttered closed. Ichigo dipped his head just slightly then and leaned in again, pressing his lips lower.

Keeping one hand firmly over her hip, Ichigo dragged the other down a bit and gently nudged her legs further apart. Then he wrapped that hand around her thigh and his lips found her most sensitive spot. He kissed her hard, wasting no time in letting his tongue dart out to entice more erotic, beautiful moans from her lips.

Orihime couldn't breathe as his lips and tongue began pleasuring her. One of her hands trailed back up, into his hair, and tangled itself there. Her knees were weak and she was amazed she hadn't fallen on top of him. And then he shifted her again, guiding one leg over his shoulder and granting him unrestricted access to her most private place.

Before she could think about it enough to be embarrassed once more, his tongue was inside of her and her whole body was tingling. She moaned more loudly than before, barely aware that her hips had developed a mind of their own and were beginning to roll forward. What he was doing felt so _**good**_ that she only wanted more, and she didn't care that she was grinding her hips into his face.

His tongue slid into her, swirling around sensuously before slipping back out, and then he gave a hard suck that had her digging her nails into his flesh. She groaned loudly and threw her head back again, arching her hips forward. And then his tongue returned, but this time it was joined by one long finger. Together they plunged inside of her, and his thumb rubbed over the same spot he'd sucked on, and all of a sudden she was seeing stars.

She cried his name as ecstasy flooded her, rolling her hips into him a moment before her limbs gave out on her.

Orihime half-collapsed on top of him as Ichigo withdrew from her, and he couldn't quite contain the smirk of pride that surged within him. He shifted his hold in order to catch her properly and easily guided her back to the futon, where he laid her down gently.

Once she was settled, he crawled up, tenderly sweeping the hair from her face and pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Her breath was still coming in short, ragged, gasps as Orihime said, "You're…not done…are you?"

"Not even close," Ichigo promised with a faint chuckle. He held her gaze for a long moment, smiling softly at her, and added, "You don't need to be up early, right?"

Orihime laughed, reaching up again and wrapping her arms around his torso. "Come here," she said, her voice unusually breathy.

Ichigo obediently leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. Their lips moved together, parting and allowing their tongues to dance, for a long minute. Then he skimmed one hand again over her side, using the other to prop himself up above her.

When he pulled back again he shifted, using his knees to ease her legs apart until he could settle between them. As he moved, Orihime dragged one hand up his chest, lingering enough to really get a feel for the contours of his muscles. Her touch sent scorching heat racing through his veins and he sucked in a breath, his eyes lifting back to hers.

He watched her as he pulled his hand around and dipped one finger inside of her again, testing her. Orihime groaned, arching at his touch, but managed to hold his gaze. He withdrew his hand and returned it to its place at her hip, all the while keeping his eyes firmly on hers.

Neither was able to maintain eye-contact, however, when Ichigo slowly eased himself inside of her.

Orihime was the first to break the connection, her head falling back and eyes squeezing shut as she savored the feelings suddenly coursing through her.

Ichigo groaned, free fist clenching, and his forehead landed on her shoulder as he filled her.

When he was completely sheathed within her he stopped, lifting his head and looking for her eyes.

She smiled encouragingly when their eyes met and lifted her hands to frame his face as she pulled him down for a kiss. Her hips rolled into his as their tongues met, and Ichigo pulled back only enough to roll forward again.

The hand he'd had at her hip slid around her, shoving itself between her back and the futon and subsequently pulling her closer.

Her arms slid down, fingernails scraping lightly over his chest, until she could once again wrap them around his torso.

He bowed his head, lips and tongue trailing down her throat, licking and sucking intermittently.

She moaned loudly as he continued to thrust into her. He would pull out – sometimes entirely, other times only partially – and immediately surge forward again. Each thrust had her arching her back and rolling her hips to greet him.

The arm around her waist tightened as he groaned against her throat, teeth grazing the skin. He immediately followed with his tongue, tracing it over the same spot, as he picked up the pace.

Orihime dug her nails into his back unintentionally and, as she arched, one leg curled up, over his hip. He seemed to like the change, because he grunted something unintelligible and pounded into her with slightly more force than before. Groaning with each new thrust, Orihime tightened her hold on him and curled her other leg deliberately around his hip.

Ichigo trailed his tongue across her collar, moving to the other side of her throat, as his pace increased again. He was dangerously close to the edge now, but he refused to go over alone. His lips found the pulse-point and he sucked hard on the sensitive skin as he surged into her once more.

Their hips were practically molding together as her legs tightened around him, and she cried out when he slammed into _**that**_ spot. Two more quick, sharp thrusts had her clinging to him desperately as pure, unadulterated bliss suddenly exploded within her.

He wasn't sure if it was the sound of his name on her lips as her orgasm crashed into her, or the way she was holding him, her body pulsating around his, that had him flying toward the horizon. But, either way, her name tore from his lips as he groaned, his hips thrusting shallowly into her as his head fell to her shoulder.

Her legs slowly slid off of his hips, and her arms loosened around him as she dragged in ragged, gasping breaths.

Ichigo reluctantly lifted his head, realizing that he was practically crushing her, as he loosened his own hold on her. But it was another long minute before he carefully withdrew from her, simultaneously pulling his hand back around to her hip.

He rolled off of her then, half-collapsing onto his back. Orihime immediately rolled into him, curling up against his side and using his chest as her pillow, one arm curving loosely around his stomach. His arm – the one he'd used to support himself – curled around her to hold her in place.

"Ichigo," she whispered after another moment, once her breath was somewhat stable.

Realizing that his eyes were only half-open, Ichigo murmured, "Hmm?"

Her voice was sleepy when she said, "I think you should stay over tonight."

A chuckle rumbled up from his chest and he found the energy to tighten his arm around her slightly as he replied, "Yeah, I was thinking that, too."

"Besides," Orihime continued as her eyes began to droop and her hand slowly stilled, "I've discovered…that I like waking up…with you…."

Ichigo couldn't help but grin, despite his own increasing tiredness, as he remembered that morning. It was the first time they had woken up together, and it had taken a lot of willpower to keep from rolling over and pinning her beneath him for the rest of the morning.

"Me, too," he replied, though he was pretty sure she had already fallen asleep.

His gaze lowered to the side and he smiled faintly at the mass of auburn that occupied his vision. He was exhausted – for more than one reason, really – and he had to be up early again in the morning.

But it was so worth it.

_**To Be Concluded…**_

_**A/N:**_ Whew, now wasn't that fun? LOL Ahem, I mean, another chapter is done! And of course I hope you enjoyed it! ^_~ Now, I'm sure some of you noticed already, but yes, there really is only one more left…. I know, it's sort of bittersweet, isn't it? Heh, don't mind me! However, if you would be so kind, please take a moment to review before you go rushing to the next one!


	14. Forever and a Day

_**A/N:**_ Hello! Welcome all to the final chapter! And prepare yourselves: fluffiness lies ahead! LOL Anyway, I have nothing new to say, so I won't waste your time! Hope you enjoy this one!

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to rich people. I am broke. See the difference?

**Second Chance**

**Chapter Fourteen: Forever and a Day**

** "Oh, I'm **so sorry we couldn't go celebrate last night," Rangiku was saying as she walked with Orihime through the market. "I really wanted to, too!"

Orihime smiled, hoping it came across as purely understanding, and said, "It's alright, Rangiku. I can certainly understand that you were busy."

Rangiku paused, turning to properly face her, and one eyebrow arched high over her forehead as she asked, "Did Ichigo help you celebrate?"

Her cheeks were immediately crimson as Orihime stuttered, "R-Rangiku!"

Feigning innocence, Rangiku replied, "What? It's just a simple question…I mean, if he's any kind of a boyfriend, he ought to have helped you celebrate, right? You worked really hard renovating those infirmaries."

Orihime swallowed, attempting to control her flustered reaction, and nodded as she said, "Yes, of course! In fact, it was his idea for me to take a couple of days off before I start on my house."

Rangiku's grin was plastered firmly in place as she returned her attention to the stand of fresh fruit before them and said, "Oh, I'm sure you didn't take any convincing for that. I mean, the longer you put it off, the longer you get to live together, right?"

"We're not living together!" Orihime defended quickly, absently reaching for a pack of strawberries in the hopes that it would look like she wasn't focused entirely on the conversation.

The older woman was laughing now. "Right, right, of course; how could I forget? You're living in the guest room across from him."

"Exactly," Orihime replied with a nod.

Rangiku's grin was full of mischief as she looped an arm around Orihime's shoulders and said, "Orihime, between you and me, are you _**really**_ still living separately?"

"Wh-what do you mean?" Orihime asked in an attempt to stall. She really wasn't comfortable talking about what Rangiku was asking about, but she was also opposed to lying unnecessarily.

Lowering her voice conspiratorially, Rangiku said, "Well, how often do you eat dinner together?"

"Every night…" Orihime replied slowly. That wasn't the question she'd expected, and it was making her nervous.

"And how often do you sleep in separate rooms?" Rangiku continued without missing a beat.

"Um," Orihime began, her blush returning. "Well…usually."

"_**Recently?**_" Rangiku pushed as she half-dragged Orihime down the line toward the vegetables, arm still around her shoulders.

Orihime swallowed again before managing, "Th-three nights ago…we slept separately…."

"Three nights ago, huh?" Rangiku repeated. As she picked up a head of lettuce and turned it around as if she were inspecting it, she said, "So you've spent the last _**two**_ nights in the same bed, then."

It was getting harder and harder not to think about everything that had happened the night before, and Orihime had to drag in a deep breath before she mumbled, "Yes."

Leaning closer to whisper her next question, Rangiku asked, "Have you gotten him naked yet?"

"Rangiku!" Orihime squealed, her face burning once more as she turned wide, horrified eyes at her friend.

Rangiku laughed and released her, feeling as though she'd tormented her younger friend enough for the moment. "Okay, okay, I won't ask any more questions!" But she couldn't resist one small, additional comment and so, as she turned to sift through something else, she muttered, "Sounds like a 'yes' to me, anyway."

Orihime barely resisted the urge to bury her face in her hands – which were carrying bags of food. _I knew I should have asked Rangiku if we could put this off for a couple of days._

* * *

><p><strong>Ichigo broke<strong> from the renovation group long enough to shake off some of the excess grime and check in on Orihime. She was in her office, as he'd known she would be, and she smiled brightly at him when their eyes met.

"Hey, Hime," he greeted with a smile of his own.

She stood and rounded her desk, meeting him halfway across the office and stepping into his arms. "Hi," she murmured as she looped her arms loosely around his shoulders.

He leaned in and stole a kiss, his lips lingering over hers as his hands splayed over her back. He hadn't seen her since that morning, when he'd had to leave before she was finished preparing for the day, and he was a bit disturbed by how much he'd missed her.

When they pulled apart she asked quietly, "Have you been busy today?"

"Yeah," he replied. "It looks like I'll be busy longer than usual, too, so you might have to eat without me. I don't want you going hungry."

Orihime pouted for a moment, before smiling and shaking her head as she looked away and admitted, "Actually, Rangiku's stealing me tonight, anyway. Remember when she said we should have a cooking party some night when Toushirou was out with work? Well, he's out tonight, and she wants me to celebrate finishing the infirmaries…."

Ichigo chuckled and pressed his lips to her forehead before saying, "Sounds like it'll work out, then. But don't let her drag you into anything too crazy, alright?"

It was her turn to laugh as she rested her head on his shoulder. "I'll try, but it won't be easy." She was silent for a moment before she added softly, "Promise not to work too hard tonight, okay?"

He tightened his grip on her and lowered his lips to her hair before he murmured, "I promise, Hime. And I'll come by to see you again in the morning, since I won't see you tonight."

"I'll hold you to that," Orihime teased as she snuggled into him.

* * *

><p><strong>It had<strong> been late, as Ichigo had known it would be, when he'd finally gotten home that night. He caught only three hours of sleep before the sun was shining onto his closed eyes and dragging him back out of his slumber. Tiredly, he trudged to his bathroom and soaked in a scalding, relaxing, bath before dressing for another day.

With everything they'd accomplished the day (and night) before, the majority of the work that loomed ahead of them that morning was interior. Ichigo, Rukia, Rangiku, and a few of the others focused on taking care of the inside – putting up decorations, placing furniture, and cleaning up the mess that had accumulated from the rebuilding.

The remaining volunteers – including Ikkaku, Renji, and Byakuya – took charge of finishing up the outside work. The grounds needed a lot of clearing up, as there was a lot of left-over debris from both the explosion and the renovation. The garden Orihime had kept off of her back porch had been lost in the fire, and so Ichigo had also insisted on starting a new one for her.

They worked through the morning, pushing themselves and running about in order to complete their task that afternoon.

And then, shortly after two o'clock, they quite suddenly found themselves without any more work to do.

"I guess," Rukia began, her eyes skimming over the field behind the recently-painted back porch, "we're done."

"_**Finally!**_" Rangiku exclaimed, slumping dramatically onto the grass. "This was a lot more work than I thought it'd be."

Toushirou cocked an eyebrow at her from where he stood at her side. "And what did you think you'd be doing?"

Ichigo tuned out their conversation as he turned around and ran his eyes over the building for the hundredth time. Rukia was right – they were done. The house, which only a few days before had been more memory than reality, stood tall and proud once again.

He was glad to have accomplished his goal, and he was happy because he knew Orihime would be thrilled to have her home back.

But it was a bittersweet happiness, because it meant she would actually be farther away from him. _Although,_ he realized silently, _there's a solution to that, too._ It was a crazy idea. But he'd been accused of worse things.

* * *

><p><strong>"Well, I<strong> think that's everything," Isane said as she started for the door to Orihime's office. She offered her friend a smile and added, "Have a good rest of your day, Orihime."

Orihime smiled back, saying, "Thanks, Isane; you, too. And say hello for me?"

"Of course," Isane promised.

Behind the Squad One Lieutenant, the office door slid open and Ichigo stepped in, pausing when he saw her and nodding. "Afternoon, Isane," he said.

The elder Lieutenant smiled and nodded in return. "Good afternoon. Don't mind me, I was just on my way out; it's good to see you, Ichigo."

Ichigo inclined his head but said nothing as she slipped from the room.

"Ichigo," Orihime called as her door slid shut quietly. When he turned his attention to her she smiled faintly and asked, "Is everything alright? I wasn't expecting you until later."

He grinned and moved forward, walking around her desk and pulling her up, into his arms. "Everything's fine," he assured her. He bowed his head, then, and captured her lips in a fierce, hungry kiss.

Orihime nearly whimpered beneath him as she curled her hands into the fabric of his shihakushou. His hands were burning her hips even through the multiple layers of clothing that separated them, and for a moment she wondered how wrong it would be if they moved to the couch.

It was at this point that she reluctantly dragged her lips from his, and her arms rose, sliding around his shoulders loosely as she leaned her head against his shoulder. His arms tightened around her in return and she smiled faintly. But whatever she might have been about to say was lost when her fingers lifted to sift through his hair, and she discovered that it was damp, as if he'd washed it recently.

Confusion curving her lips into a frown, she asked, "Ichigo…why is your hair wet?"

Ichigo chuckled against her, pressing a light kiss to her temple before reluctantly pulling away and looking into her eyes. "It's wet because I washed it not that long ago. Actually, Hime, I was hoping you could come with me – there's something important I need to show you."

"Oh," Orihime began, surprised by his unusual request and feeling even more confused. She nodded anyway and added, "Of course."

He took a single step backwards and caught one of her hands in his. "Good," he said with a lopsided grin.

_Here we go,_ he thought as he guided her out of her office.

It had occurred to him that she might not be so thrilled about what they'd done. He doubted she'd been looking forward to the manual labor and exhaustive work that would have been required, but what if she'd been looking forward to having a little creative control? What if she was actually disappointed instead? He could only hope that she liked the end result.

Orihime, for her part, was thoroughly confused as Ichigo proceeded to lead her _**deeper**_ into her own barracks. She had absolutely no idea what he could be taking her to see. _Did something happen?_ It didn't make sense – as Captain, surely she would have been aware of any arising situation, right?

_But he said everything was fine,_ she remembered. _So what could it be?_ The questions only continued mounting as they moved through familiar hallways at a calm, but purposeful, pace.

And then they rounded another corner, and it occurred to Orihime that they seemed to be heading to her private home – or, at least, where it had once stood. But by the time this realization settled, Ichigo had stopped, and her feet had come to a stop as well.

The hallway dead-ended, as it always had, to an open courtyard which housed a single building.

Long ago Unohana had had a separate building built in the back courtyard, in order to have a living space that was slightly separated from her work space. Orihime had, of course, inherited this building as her home when she had taken over the position of Squad Four Captain. It had been this building that had been utterly destroyed by the bombs and resulting fire in the chaos from a couple of months before.

But now, clear as day, a building that was nearly identical on the outside to the old one was standing in the courtyard. It was covered in an obviously-fresh coat of paint that matched the other buildings of the barracks.

Ichigo squeezed her hand slightly, reminding her that he was still there, and said quietly, "I know how upset you were about losing your home…. I hope you don't mind."

Orihime swallowed, her eyes brimming with unshed tears, and looked up at him with a matching smile. "Ichigo…you did all this?"

"Well," Ichigo admitted, jerking his thumb toward the building again, "I didn't do it by myself."

Obediently, Orihime turned her attention back to the building, and was amazed to see the group of their peers walk into sight from either side. She sucked in a surprised breath and her free hand flew up to cover her mouth.

"We did the inside for you, too," Ichigo added.

Orihime blinked, one tear escaping to trial down her cheek, and turned to quickly lean up and plant a kiss on his lips. Then she tightened her grip on his hand and started forward at a brisk pace, eager to see the inside of the home she had been given.

When she was close enough, Rangiku moved forward and grabbed her shoulders, pulling her away from Ichigo as she pushed her towards the two front steps that led up to the door. "What are you waiting for? Get inside and see what we did!"

Orihime had wanted to take a minute to thank everyone, but she was more interested in seeing the rest of her house, and so she allowed Rangiku's eagerness to rush her up the steps. Rangiku and Ichigo both fell back as she stopped at the landing, and she realized that they wanted to give her a minute to take it in all on her own.

Taking a deep breath, Orihime reached out and opened the front door.

Her mind was everywhere as she looked around. She stood in the entry for a long minute, absorbing the sight before her.

The front door opened – like her old one had – into a large sitting room. There were two sofas, one on either side of a simple but elegant coffee table. There was an ornate, brick fireplace along one wall, and in front of the fireplace was a large throw rug covering the floor. Two large windows on the far wall framed her back door, and through the windows she could see the railing of a good-sized back porch.

The kitchen and bathroom were in the same places – roughly – that they had been originally, and the doors were open so that Orihime could easily peer inside. They were properly furnished, and a quick look told her that her kitchen was even fully stocked.

But she was especially intrigued to note that the house was actually a little bigger than her old one, and it had an additional bedroom. The new bedroom was smaller than her old one, though not by much, and only basically furnished.

The other bedroom, in almost the same place of the previous, was larger than her old one. It had another large window against one wall, and a door that led to the back porch. The porch itself was larger than its predecessor as well, and when Orihime went to the railing she noticed that her garden had also been restored.

Orihime took a deep breath as she turned around on her porch to look up at the building again. She knew she'd missed having her own home, but finally having one again made her realize exactly how much she'd missed it.

"So," Ichigo asked from somewhere behind her, "what do you think?"

She turned around to see him – and everyone else – gathered in her backyard. A large, bright smile lit up her face and she easily declared, "I love it! Thank you all _**so**_ much!"

Rukia smiled from where she stood between Ichigo and Renji and said, "We were glad to help."

* * *

><p><strong>Orihime was<strong> running her fingers along the back of one of her new sofas, a soft smile curving her lips, when a familiar spiritual pressure settled behind her. An instant later two strong arms had wrapped around her waist and pulled her back, into a muscular chest. Her smile brightened and she leaned into him, letting her hands fall over his.

"Thank you, Ichigo," she said softly. "This is the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me."

"You deserved it," he replied quietly. "I was happy to help."

With a soft laugh, Orihime said, "The way I heard it, this whole thing was your idea. In my opinion, that's a little more than 'helping'."

Ichigo pressed a kiss to her temple, his lips tipped up in a small smile.

After a moment, he said, "I am sorry I had to lie, Hime."

Orihime tilted her head into his, saying, "There are different kinds of lying, Ichigo. Not telling me about this is okay; sometimes you have to lie to keep a surprise _**a surprise**_. So don't worry about it."

His arms tightened around her and he accepted her words silently. The time had come, he knew, but he didn't want to spoil her moment, either. And as nervous as he'd been about the house, he was infinitely more nervous about what he was going to do next.

"I love you, Ichigo," Orihime said on a sigh as the fingers of one of her hands danced across his forearm.

It was amazing how that simple sentence managed to completely smother his nerves.

"Orihime," he said quietly, "there's one more thing…."

"More?" Orihime asked, shifting her head so that she could look up at him without actually pulling away. She couldn't imagine what else there could be.

"Well," Ichigo began, "while we were working on the house, I kept thinking about how much it would mean to you to have your home back. But then I got to thinking that that means I won't have you so close anymore, and if I'm being honest, I really don't like that idea."

Orihime's eyes drooped slightly as she listened to his words. He wasn't saying anything that hadn't already gone through her mind at least once, so she opted to wait until he was done before responding. She could only hope that something he said would give her something _**useful**_ to say.

He had to pause to swallow as his nerves attempted to take over once more. "I could only think up one decent solution," he admitted. "And I don't know…I mean, I can understand if you think it's too soon, but…." He trailed off again, closing his eyes for a moment before he pushed ahead.

Taking a deep breath, Ichigo pulled his arms back and gently turned her around so that he could look into her eyes. He slid his hands up until he was framing her face, his thumbs rubbing tenderly over her cheeks.

"Orihime," he began again, "I know we really haven't been together very long, but I love you more than anything, and I never want to be apart from you. So…will you marry me?"

Orihime couldn't breathe as her fingers curled slightly in his shihakushou. She was lost in his eyes, and all she could see was sincerity. Every word he said, he meant, and every word he said came straight from her own heart. There was only one answer.

She smiled, and a single tear slipped from the corner of her eye, landing on the tip of his thumb, but she ignored it and said, "Yes. Oh, Ichigo…of course I will."

He smiled and pulled her back to him, lowering his head to capture her lips in a gentle kiss. His hands threaded through her hair for a moment, before sliding again down her back and holding her tight.

She tangled her fingers in his hair as their lips moved together, tongues barely touching.

It was a long minute before they pulled apart, and Orihime smiled laughingly as she said, "I'll make you a deal."

"A deal?" Ichigo asked curiously, one orange brow lifting to match his tone.

Trailing one finger along the length of his jaw, Orihime explained, "I promise to love you forever, no matter what happens, if you'll promise the same."

Ichigo grinned and leaned forward until his forehead was resting against hers, and he replied quietly, "Forever and a day, Hime."

_**The End**_

_**A/N:**_ Well, there you have it – the end of the story! Yes, that's right, no epilogue – I just couldn't figure out one that satisfied me quite the same way ending it here satisfied me, so here it ends. And now I'd like to thank you all for reading (and reviewing) this story! So: thank you for sticking with me, and I hope you enjoyed it! And, perhaps you're feeling so motivated by the end of the story that you just can't help but review one more time? LOL

Until next time! ^_^


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